The Stranded Barbarian
by Super Comrade
Summary: Our Barbarian hero finds himself stranded in an unknown land, a land quite similar yet unlike his own. Read and find out what awaits him there, what people he will meet, what challenges he will overcome and will he be able to find a way back to his homeland.
1. Prologue

The stranded Barbarian

**AN: Alright, so this is my first fanfiction on this site and it's about a concept I found intriguing. Having Conan in the Goblin Slayer universe opens up quite a few possibilities and character interaction. I can only hope I get it right. Here's a bit of a prologue. I hope you enjoy.**

**On another note, I'm a college student so I won't have the most consistent schedule so you'll have to bear with me.**

Prologue

It was midday, the Sun high up in the sky with no clouds to cover its yellow rays. No sound could be heard other than those of small waves hitting the sandy beach that stretched for miles. No person, animal or structure could be seen for a very long distance in the area.

But in a certain spot on the beach something recently appeared. On that spot lay a man face-first in the sand, completely unconscious with the waves touching his legs, single wreckage of a boat beside him that was rendered in two halves.

The man himself could be described as very tall, bronze-skinned and incredibly muscular, his hair a long black mane. He was dressed in nothing but a brown loincloth and fur boots, on his hip was sheathed long sword. To many, he would look like a typical barbarian. However, around him, you could see some remains of chainmail scattered, no doubt what he used for armor, and some small patches still adorned his muscular physique.

The sprawled figure started to steer, his fingers began to twitch and his eyelids slowly started to open showing his blue eyes.

The man slowly started to get up, first using his hands to push himself up before his legs acted and stood on the sand. The man now stood straight up. He started to groan and rubbed his head with his hand, trying to rid himself of the slight dizziness.

A few moments later, he took a look at his surroundings and noticed the destroyed boat beside him. Once again he rubbed his head as if trying to remember what happened to him. Then slowly, but surely, the memories started to come back.

He remembered walking in a town that was located next to the Western sea, looking for an inn to spend the night in. But then he ran into some sailors who noticed him and called out to him to come to them. They explained that they were planning to sail across the Western sea to pick up something from a faraway island and they planned on hiring the man to go with them, needing some help while they were sailing. It's usually peaceful but pirates were known to show up from time to time.

They explained that they have heard of the man's exploits and that his skills and accomplishments were legendary, so having him aboard while exploring uncharted territories would be perfect. They even paid him in a very decent amount of gold.

The man agreed and after a few hours, they set sail to explore the unknown. While on the way, the man spent some time with the crew, getting to know them and even shared stories with them. They took a liking to him pretty quickly and vice versa.

The voyage went along smoothly and without any notable complications for quite some time, easing the worries of the crew for a while.

But some time later they were attacked by pirates. The crew and the man fought back with all their might. The battle was savage and bloody, and quite a few of the crew were killed and many were injured, but the pirates suffered greater loses thanks to the man who the crew hired, seeing the stories didn't exaggerate his skills and might, and the pirates were forced to retreat.

However, it seemed that luck was not on their side as not long after that they were within a heavy storm. The crew tried their best to preserve the ship but too many of them died or were wounded to do even a decent job in maintaining some sort of stability on the rocking waves. Even the bronze-skinned man, who could easily do the work of three men, was not able to help enough to preserve the ship. Heavy damage was done and the ship started to sink.

Many tried to save themselves by escaping on boats, but very few actually made it. The raven-haired man and the captain were barely able to take one boat and the storm separated them from the rest of the survivors.

Due to the storm, the boat started rocking heavily against the violent waves, the two men trying to keep themselves steady. The captain eventually fell off the boat causing the muscled man to try and help him by jumping into the water but the heavy rocking caused the man to stumble back in before he could, and hit the side of the boat with his head, knocking him out.

The man came back from the trip down the memory lane and sighed. He once again cast a look at the destroyed boat before getting a somewhat sorrowful look in his eyes. He wasn't particularly close to the captain but he did make a pleasant company. And his crew were good men as well, not deserving to die at the sea the way they did. It wasn't the first time he experienced such a loss, but it didn't make the sorrow disappear.

After a minute of silence, he composed himself. He shouldn't linger on his sadness for too long. He needed to assess the situation he was in. He looked at the sea behind him as if contemplating from whence he came and if he could come back. He was thrown who knows where while he was far out into the sea, very far away from his homeland. He could be on an uncharted island or even a different continent. His armor was torn to shreds, the cause of both the fight and the struggle with the sea, and he didn't have his gold with him when they tried to escape so he had no money. Luckily, he still had his sword, which would help his survivability immensely.

He then looked at the forest in front of him, deciding that would be the best place to explore. He was stranded at an unknown place with no food or water or money, only his hunting skills, and a sword. And considering that he hadn't eaten in a while, it would be just the right time to put these skills to good use.

He stretched, discarded the useless remains of his armor off of him and walked forward, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead of him. The odds may have seemed against him, but they were often set against him and he was always able to overcome them, sometimes even to his own surprise.

Whatever this place was, it better be ready for Conan the Cimmerian.

**AN: And that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to the feedback.**


	2. 1 Things that creep in the night

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's the second installment of The Stranded Barbarian. Thankfully I was able to get this one out quickly. In this chapter, Conan will get more familiar with the land he is in and what he could expect for the future**

1 Things that creep in the night

Conan was sitting cross-legged on the grassy ground in front of a fire he started and secured with rocks so it doesn't cause wildfire on accident. He was currently chewing on a piece of cooked meat. It was already dark and he recently finished hunting a few rabbits. So far, nothing was different about the wildlife here from what he was used to so it made hunting easier.

He left the beach a long time ago and got into the forest in which he was walking for hours on end. Wherever he was he was certainly far from civilization. He didn't come across any clear path that could lead him out of the forest so he settled for hunting for food.

After cutting off some branches and sharping the ends into makeshift spears he set out for his hunt. After a while, he found some rabbits and quickly speared them. He only wished he could have found some more before dark fell. He soon started the fire and cooked the rabbits.

And here he was, eating the said rabbits and still with no answers on where he is. He hoped that at least tomorrow he would come across at least some sort of civilization. He needed a ship out of this place, not wanting to stay longer than necessary.

But then he stopped mid-bite, his ears picking up the rustling of some bushes behind him. Not noticeable by many, but Conan's great senses were able to pick it up. He slowly went for the hilt of his blade, preparing for the seeming surprise attack by whatever was located in those bushes.

The barbarian's fast reflexes kicked in, his head swiftly moving to the side as an arrow whizzed past him. The barbarian quickly rose to his feet and turned toward the bush, his trusty sword at his side, his face narrowed in a glare, ready to take on whoever was attacking him.

The arrow showed that it was clearly not an animal, but a person, and he was more than prepared to fight whoever was foolish enough to try and ambush him.

But what came out of the bush surprised him. It was several small ugly green-skinned creatures, with long noses, pointed ears and warts on their faces, dressed in nothing but loincloths. Conan gained a slight look of surprise. Those things definitely weren't human, but even the monstrous look they weren't very intimidating. What were they? Imps? Goblins? He also saw that they were armed but their weapons weren't anything to brag about. Small clubs and blades, very light weapons clearly made for their size and build since they obviously couldn't use regular-sized weapons. One of them also carried a small bow, indicating he was the one who tried to shoot Conan from behind.

They pointed their weapons at him as if threatening him. Conan just let out a small smirk; this was like children trying to act tough in front of an adult man. And Conan was even less convinced considering they tried to take him out by shooting him from behind.

Conan then pointed his blade towards them. "I don't know what you are, but I swear to Crom, unless you leave me alone you'll be slaughtered without mercy. If you have any kind of intelligence then you would leave while your heads are still attached to your little bodies."

The small creatures either didn't understand him or outright ignored his threat as they tried charging at him. Conan let out a scoff, these creatures were obviously too stupid for their own good. The way they ran towards him showed that they were not really fast either.

The moment the first one came in range a flash of glistening light could be seen and the creature found itself without a head. That caused the other creatures to freeze in place, surprised that they couldn't see the huge man move at all.

The man stood there, smirking at their confused expressions. He then lifted up the blade so they could see the blood on it. "Feeling any regrets about your decision?" he mockingly asked.

Before any of them could make any sort of response, Conan once again swung his blade with speed and ferocity of a panther and cleaved another one in half. Another followed soon after, causing the others to try and run away.

But Conan wouldn't let them as he quickly caught up to any fleeing creature and quickly killed them with his sword. The one with the bow tried shooting at him but Conan just caught the arrow in his hand and sliced his head off before he could fire any more arrows.

Not even a minute of slaughter and Conan was surrounded by small green corpses, the scent of blood not bothering due to his constant exposure to it, and he flicked the blood off his blade.

He went to scout around the area to see if there were any more of them, and despite it being dark he could still tell when other creatures are around due to his experience, but he found none. When he returned he picked up the dead creatures and threw them into the fire, not wanting to deal with the decaying corpses of these little monsters. He could handle it but still, the smell would be an annoyance.

He sat a bit away from the fire, not wanting to deal with the annoying smell, and the night air actually being pretty pleasant, and wondered what on earth these creatures were and will he encounter more on his journey. But if he does he wasn't worried. They incredibly easy to deal with, the children in Cimmeria would have given him a greater challenge.

After a while sleep slowly started to overtake him and he lay on the ground with his blade next to him. And in sleep, he dreamt of his homeland and awaited the arrival of the next sunrise.

Conan awoke with a groan and quickly got to his feet. He stretched his mighty limbs with the grace of a tiger and went further into the woods.

After an hour of walking through the thick woods, he finally arrived outside. He was now in a clear meadow of small grass that stretched a good distance. Not too far from his location, he saw a road. After a quick walk to the road, he saw tracks of what seemed to be a carriage, taking it as a sign that he was nearing some sort of civilization.

He then walked in the direction the carriage tracks went, hoping that the place it was going to was near.

After half an hour of walking he was able to see some houses in the distance and put more speed to his walking to arrive faster. He even saw a wooden board that said 'Farmer village'. Conan raised an eyebrow at the strange name but shrugged.

As he walked he saw that the houses were mostly farmhouses. He guessed that's the reason for the name. And there weren't many of them, only about half a dozen or so, and they were located some distance from each other. So far nothing was unlike in his home.

However there appeared to be no inns anywhere so he would have to visit at least one of the houses so he could get some food and rest.

He arrived at the house nearest to the edge of the village. He saw a man dressed in simple clothes of brown pants and a white shirt. He was decently built with brown hair and beard.

Conan slowly approached the man not noticing his arrival, and called out. "Hello there."

That caused the farmer to stop what he was doing and look towards the source of the gruff voice that called out to him. He turned around and saw a well-muscled tall man dressed in nothing but a loincloth and boots, with a sword at his side. The appearance has the farmer somewhat intrigued. Was this man an adventurer? He didn't know if anyone in the village put out a contract. "Um, yes, can I help you?" asked the farmer.

"I'm but a simple traveler. I just need a place to stay for a while and perhaps something to eat," he said.

The farmer nodded, not being the one who would refuse to help a man in need. "I see. Very well, inside," said the farmer as he gestured towards his house. "You have some good timing, stranger; my wife is just about ready to make lunch. I think we'll have enough for one more."

Conan just nodded and the two of them went towards the house. The house was a simple one, made of wood, with two stories. They entered the front door. "Honey, we have a guest," exclaimed the farmer.

Then a beautiful woman with long brown hair and green eyes showed up. "Really? Who?" she asked. Then she got a good look at the guest her husband mentioned. "Darling, who is that?"

"Oh, he is just a traveler in need of food and a place to sleep," explained the farmer. "Speaking of which, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Farmer and this is my wife."

Conan once again raised an eyebrow at the introduction. What was with this place and the strange way of naming? "Those aren't names, those are titles. Are you not going to tell me your real names?"

The married couple looked at him strangely until Farmer came to a realization. "Ah, I see you are not familiar with the customs of this land," said Farmer with a small smile of amusement. "You see, in these parts people don't say their real names, it's something very personal and revealing your name would usually be a sign of deep affection. People are usually called by their title or occupation, hence why I introduced us the way I did."

Conan was still baffled by this. He has been to many lands and visited many tribes with different cultures and beliefs but none of them had the customs where you didn't give someone your name unless you are trying to purposefully be rude.

Unfortunately this also confirmed his suspicion of not being anywhere near any places he knew.

"It is a strange custom you have there. Where I come from knowing someone's real name is a common occurrence, so I'll introduce myself with my real name," said the barbarian. "My name is Conan of Cimmeria."

The two of them were not too surprised he gave them his real name since it appeared to be common from where he came from, but still it was still a bit strange considering their own customs.

"You don't have anything else to go by?" asked the Wife as being one of the people used to addressing people by their title.

"If you're speaking about titles and such then nothing I personally go by," Conan explained. "Though, other people have often called me a barbarian."

That caught the couple off guard. This man was actually called Barbarian? That caused them a bit of dilemma since they could either use the unusual route of calling him by his real name or call him Barbarian which was definitely something rude to call someone. So they either go against their customs or they act rude.

"Well, then how about you join us for lunch, um… Conan?" asked the Wife.

"I would appreciate it," he said with a small smile.

The meal was a simple one. A bowl of soup and some cooked meat. The family of two ate their food at a normal pace while Conan ate his food more quickly. He would have eaten it even quicker and messier but these people have shown him enough kindness without asking anything return so he decided to at least act in a more civil manner.

"So tell me… Conan," started the Farmer. "Where do you come from? You told us you were from Cimmeria, but we never heard of such a place." That also caused his wife to listen with interest.

Conan stopped eating and looked at them. "I would honestly be surprised if you did, considering where this place is located," the Cimmerian said causing the two of them to look confused.

He then decided to tell them the story of how he got here. How he was a man from a different continent that was hired by a captain to protect his crew while they were on a voyage to unknown lands, how they got attacked and then being hit by a storm which lead to them trying to escape and Conan eventually landing on a beach a miles away from here.

Once they heard his story the two of them looked at Conan with sadness evident on their faces.

"We are very sorry to hear that," said the Wife with her voice cracking a bit. This man was probably the only survivor of that crew and now he was stuck in a land far away from his home.

"And no doubt you would want to find your way back," said Farmer. "But unfortunately, we don't know anyone who would undertake such voyage. All of our trades are from inland, not across the sea, and not many people would just go to unexplored lands for a place they never even heard of."

"Yes, I hold no illusions towards that," said Conan. "But that doesn't discourage me from trying. If there is someone who will be willing to bring me back then I'll find that person eventually, even if it takes me a while."

The two smiled at the man's word. He was nothing else if not determined.

"Very well, then. Until that day comes we can at least give you a place to sleep," said Farmer and turned to look at his wife. "What do you say, dear?"

The woman gave a smile. "Of course, it's the least we can do after what you've been through," she said. "Come with me. I'll show you the guest room. That's where you'll be sleeping."

Conan was lying on the bed in the room given to him by the kindly couple. He had to admit he wasn't used to this kind of generosity. Usually, people would want something in return, but these people just saw a man in need and were more than happy to aid him.

Conan didn't hold any naïve views on the world, knowing how dark and unfair it can be. However, that didn't mean he was also unaware that there were genuinely good people out there, like those two.

Conan even offered to help work in their fields or even do all the work himself as a way to repay them but they adamantly refused, saying that it didn't feel right for him to do so and they were just helping a man in need.

If Conan was being honest, if the world had more people like them then it would probably turn for the better.

But he put those thoughts aside for now and closed his eyes for a much-needed rest. He wanted to be energized to continue his search for a way back.

But before sleep could claim the blue-eyed barbarian he was shaken awake by a sound of some object crashing and that of a woman's scream. With the swiftness and grace of a panther, he sprang up from the bed after he recognized the voice belonged to the Wife that offered him the room.

He quickly descended from the second floor where the guest room was located and towards the source of the scream. He could hear familiar sounds of weapons piercing flesh and some sort of laughter, which didn't really sound human. He hurried his steps until he almost became a blur.

When he arrived at the kitchen he was met with a horrible sight. He saw those green-skinned creatures from before, no doubt a different group, at least over a dozen of them.

Then he saw the Farmer who had a spear stuck in his bleeding leg and one of those green imps had a knife lunged in his throat. The man was dead The woman was laying on the side of the room with two of those creatures over her, tearing off her clothes, their intentions obvious to the Cimmerian. Though now all of their attentions were turned to him because of his sudden arrival.

Rage filled Conan. His face narrowed in glare that would freeze even the most experienced warriors, his mouth showing his gritting teeth. His Cimmerian blood was boiling, screaming at him to slaughter those pathetic vermin.

He let out a scream sounding like a roar of a tiger and with great speed, he started attacking those creatures, without any thought of mercy appearing in his mind. He slashed and stabbed, and no matter what those creatures tried, attacking back or trying to flee, none were able to react to Conan's great speed and savagery as his blade took them out one by one.

No creature made a sound other than guttural choking of blood as they were being slain by the bronze-skinned man. The two that were about to violate the woman tried to run as far as their little legs can carry them, but they didn't make it more than a few feet before Conan sliced one's head of before grabbing the head of the other one and crushing it in his iron-like grip, hardly bothered by the bloody remains in his hands.

There were others that ran out of the house until Conan let out a large grunt and ran after them, easily catching up to them and killing them one by one, they didn't make it far before the last one of the group lay dead on the grass.

With his rage subsiding Conan let out a small sigh. He turned back and ran towards the house to check up on the woman.

He quickly arrived at the house and saw her crying over her now dead husband. Conan also looked remorseful; the cruel reality has once again taken a life of a good man. Conan approached them and crouched next to the woman. His mighty hand found its place on the woman's shoulder for comfort.

She didn't flinch at his touch, if anything she accepted it.

"Cursed creatures," Conan grunted out. "Damn them all to Hell."

The woman let out a few sobs before turning to Conan with red eyes from the tears "Did you take care of them?"

Conan then also faced the woman. "Yes, I have. None of those little demons made it out alive."

The woman then once again closed her eyes and hurled herself at Conan, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his muscular chest. Conan was caught off guard at first but he slowly wrapped his arms around the woman, allowing her to let out all the grief she had.

The next day people of the Farmer village held a funeral in the afternoon for one of their own. The Farmer knew everyone from that small village so everyone came. Even Conan was there to pay his respects.

The villagers came sometime last night when they thought they heard some sort of commotion at the house and saw the dead bodies of the green creatures, of which they had every single one disposed of.

The woman explained the situation to them, where Conan learned that the creatures were called goblins, and many were grateful to Conan for killing the goblins. They explained that goblin attacks were not uncommon and that those two were just the unlucky ones, however, they also end up much worse as the woman would also be taken as breeding stock for the goblins, but Conan stopped it and killed the goblins.

As the ceremony was done and everyone went home, Conan and the woman stayed at the grave. There was a pregnant silence that prevailed in that spot. Conan was the one who broke it.

"I'm sorry," he said in a soft tone. "If only I was a bit faster-"

"Please don't speak that way," the Wife interrupted him. "There is no point in discussing 'what if' scenarios. The attack came from nowhere and there was no way you could have reacted faster. Do not blame yourself for not doing the impossible."

"After the kindness you and your husband have shown me I feel like I should at least do something to repay you, especially after what has happened."

She then who put her hand on Conan's shoulder. "There is no reason for you to do so. If anything I should be the one to repay you in some way. You saved my life, Conan, from a fate dreaded by every woman."

Conan gave a sigh. Normally he would have nothing against being paid in some way, but considering the situation, it didn't seem right. Perhaps these people were already starting to rub off on him.

"Conan," she once again said, gaining his attention. "I don't care what people from where you came from are calling you. You are a hero in my eyes."

Conan then eyed her at the explanation she gave him and saw her genuine smile, despite the sadness she felt over the loss of her husband. "I'm hardly a hero. I'm still a man who enjoys the thrill of battle, killing my enemies, having alcohol in my belly and the feeling of women's flesh in my bedroom. I'm not exactly a prime hero model."

The woman gave a little chuckle. "You know, you're not the only one who does," she said. "Many heroes also enjoy the things you enjoy and they aren't considered any less heroic. Even the biggest paragons have some personal desires." The woman then looked back at the grave. "Heroes aren't perfect despite what many may lead you to believe. We are all human, after all. We have our flaws. And I'm sure my husband would have considered you a hero as well," she explained as tears started welling up in her eyes despite the smile she was wearing.

They didn't say anything else from that point and stood there for a few more minutes before going back towards the woman's home with Conan staying there for one more night.

When morning came Conan was already ready to go. He was pointed in a certain direction where a town with the Adventurer's Guild was located. From what he understood there are people there called adventurers and maybe they could assist him. And even if they can't the place is also a good source of information and Conan could join the Guild if he wanted to make some money.

Conan was now standing outside the house; all set for his little adventure. The woman has arrived outside with a bag in her hands.

She approached Conan and offered him the bag. "Here are some provisions you'll probably need for your journey."

Conan took the bag and put it on his shoulder. "Thank you for that."

"I truly hope you find what you're looking for," she said. Conan nodded and turned away to leave. "And my I have at least one request?"

That caused the Cimmerian to turn back and look at her. "Very well. What is it?"

"When you do complete your quest," she began. "Will you at least make sure to pay one last visit here?"

Conan looked at her for a moment before grinning, knowing that the request wasn't because she desired for him to lay with her, but to have a friend visit her one last time. "I will."

That brought a smile to the woman's lovely face. "Thank you. And may the gods be with you on your journey. Farewell."

"And farewell to you," Conan said before turning away and walking.

The woman stood there and waved at him until he was out of sight and she went back into her house, hoping to see her hero at least once more before he finishes his quest. Until then she would pray for his success.

**AN: And that's a wrap. I used the explanation for people not using their real names from another story I've read called Deathtrooper, a Goblin Slayer/Star Wars story. I just thought it made sense. **

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. In the next one, Conan will meet more of Goblin Slayer cast. See you then.**


	3. 2 A new direction

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Wow, got this out quicker than I thought I would. And now to respond to some reviews.**

**Ronmr: Good to see you're enjoying it so far.**

**Captain Omnitron: Glad to hear it. And yeah, the fics for novel Conan are lacking in the crossover department. Even though there are more of them they aren't as fleshed out as I would like. I hope to change that.**

**Dracus6: Umm, it's a bit weird that you're already giving suggestions since this is my first fic. I would much prefer some criticism of the story.**

**And now, back to the story. Enjoy!**

2 A new direction

Conan continued his way to the city where this Adventurer's Guild was located. At the very least they could have him join so he could earn money, and with the kind of requests they get he would surely enjoy it.

He at least hoped he could find some good inn and buy himself some ale. It's been a while since he tasted it.

As he walked through the woods he was cautious of any goblin ambushes that might occur. From the information he was given, plus his previous experience, there is a possibility of goblins attacking unsuspecting humans while they travel. It's not as common as goblins attacking them in their establishments but it's still possible.

Even after a few days of not being attacked, he didn't let his guard down. The Goblins weren't physically much of a threat to him, but their small frames would make it easier for them to plan a sneak attack, which is something Conan experienced himself not too long after being stranded on this land, but he was able to avoid it thanks to his great senses. The rest was pretty easy.

The rest of the trip was uneventful except Conan having to hunt his breakfast but he was pretty used to doing that already, with all the times he had to survive in the wilderness in many lands.

As he was following the trail, he finally came out of the forest into a clearing. He stopped and saw what was definitely some sort of town some distance away. It wasn't the biggest one he has seen but a pretty sizable one.

With his destination clear in sight he hurried his step for a bit. Having to spend your time sleeping on the dirt can be annoying no matter how much you have done it. The town didn't have any walls blocking the way in or any watchtowers so it seemed simple enough.

At the entrance of the city, a guard greeted him.

"Hello, stranger. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for the Adventurer's Guild. And an inn if you know any good ones," Conan answered.

The guard gave a laugh. "Well, you certainly look the part for the Guild. I'm sure you'll get far in rankings," the guard said. Conan wondered what he meant by 'rankings'. He hasn't been to many guilds back home so he wasn't familiar with how they operated. It was obviously some sort of position that you hold in the guild. For your performance, perhaps? Conan couldn't ponder for too long as the guard continued, "As for an inn, I do in fact know a good one, probably the best one in this place. It isn't too far from the Guild, actually. You could check it out on your way to the Guild."

"Could you show me the way?" Conan asked to which the guard nodded and proceeded to give Conan directions. Conan gave the man a smile. "Thank you, guardsman," said Conan as he walked past the guard into the town.

"No problem," said the guard as he watched Conan going away.

Then Conan suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the guard. "However," he began. "If the inn doesn't turn out to be the way you described, then I know who to look for." He finished the statement with a grin on his face getting the guard to laugh. Conan then continued looking for the Guild. He may want a good drink but it would be smart to attend to business first.

As Conan passed through the streets of the city he noticed something about the people around him. No one was batting an eye in his direction. It wasn't out of some sort of vanity that he noticed this, and he knew people of this land haven't heard of him before, but usually, people that look like him are not something you see in the more urban areas, especially considering how he is currently dressed.

Yet still, not a single person here seemed to think he is out of place and just continued with their daily activities, like he is someone who would be commonly seen in these parts.

Conan walked for a few more minutes before finally arriving at his destination. He looked up to see the building that the guard described to him. A seemingly simple three-story building with a sign above the front door that said 'Adventurer's Guild'. Nothing particularly grandiose about it.

Conan then entered the building and he was met with a sight of a beautiful woman standing across him behind a table. She had hair coloured a darker shade of gold that was tied into a braid and golden eyes. He got the hair but he never really saw that eye colour. She was wearing what he presumed to be some sort of standard uniform for workers here. He had to admit that despite it completely covering her it didn't really hide her curves.

Then he looked to his left and saw a hall that was filled with at least two dozen other people who he assumed were adventurers. Many of them were dressed in armour and were carrying weapons but others wore robes and carried staffs. Mages probably? Besides that, he also noticed that there also wasn't a shortage of beautiful women here.

The edges of Conan's mouth moved upwards into a smile. He may be stuck in here for a while but with women like these, he would gladly stay a little while longer.

He then approached the desk causing the woman to notice him. The woman gave him a beaming smile and greeted him. "Hello, sir. Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild." If Conan was honest that was one of the warmest welcomes anyone has given him. Those that were genuine at least. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually looking for information. But I need a way to earn money first and I think this might be the right place for me," explained Conan.

"Oh, you're here to join the Guild!" the girl beamed when she heard that and immediately went to grab something from below the desk. She pulled out a sheet of paper and a quill. "I'll need you to fill out this paper and give your signature at the bottom corner. After that, you'll officially be an adventurer."

Conan actually got a look of surprise on his face. Really? That's it? That's all you need to do if you want to officially be an adventurer? Signing a paper? No special initiations or tests that you need to do beforehand?

Conan paraphrased his thoughts into a single question. "That's it?"

The girl nodded. "Mhmm, that's correct. After that you'll be an official member of the Adventurer's Guild."

Conan looked at her for a moment before shrugging. He took out the quill and started filling out the paper. He was requested to state his name, some skill he possessed, his preferred fighting style and… his class?

He turned back to the woman. "What exactly does this 'class' section require?"

"Oh, that is for showing what class of an adventurer you are. For example, a paladin, a wizard, a rogue, a warrior. Like that," she elaborated.

Conan then thought about it. What would he classify as? He had skills in more or less all fields, except for a wizard, of course. He knew how to sneak, he knew how to fight like a knight, he knew how to fight hand-to-hand etc. He didn't really know what classification would describe him.

Maybe he should just pick one and leave it at that but which one would be good? After a bit of thought, he decided to just write down 'warrior' and gave a signature at the end. He didn't have one due to him not really having to sign things all that much so he just wrote his name.

The golden-haired girl checked the paper and nodded. She then reached once again for something below the table. She took out what seemed to be some sort of necklace holding a silvery piece of metal with the label 'Adventurer's Guild' on it.

"This is your Adventurer tag. You'll carry it to signify you are a member of the guild and what your rank is," the woman explained.

"My rank?"

"Oh, right. I guess I should explain," said the girl and cleared her throat. "Every adventurer here has a rank that signifies his status in the guild and they are shown with the tags you have. The lowest rank is Porcelain hence the porcelain tag, which is a tag every new adventurer starts with. There ten in total, and from worst to best are Porcelain, Obsidian, Steel, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Since you are just now registered you get a Porcelain."

"And I assume I would get higher in rank with field performance."

The girl nodded. "That is correct, sir. The better performance, the higher you get in rank."

Conan then looked at the tag for a moment before shrugging and taking it. He knew he would get higher in no-time. He was sure he could prove himself quickly. But if he was honest with himself he still didn't know just how good the warriors of this land were. Sure he defeated men who could be considered the best fighters on his continent and many other monsters no ordinary man would be able to, but he still didn't see what these lands had to offer. And he was pretty sure those Goblins he fought are far from a prime example of the dangers he would face here.

Conan then put the tag around his neck. "I'll make sure not to disappoint."

"Is there a request you want to do now?"

Conan shook his head. He could do something but after all the walking and hunting for food, he figured he could take a break. "Not yet. I think I'm going to relax for a while. I had an exhausting trip."

"Very well then. I hope you enjoy yourself here," she said. "And I suggest you socialize. Adventurers can also form a group and getting to know them would certainly be beneficial."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Conan and gave her a smile. "By the way, what should I call you?"

"You can call me Guild Girl," she said.

Conan almost sighed. Of course, even she would be called by her title instead of a regular name. "Well, where I come from using our real names is a polite way of introducing. So, my name is Conan."

Guild Girl blinked at that, obviously not used to such introduction. But she didn't ponder on it for long. She guessed that's just how his culture operated. "Alright then… Sir Conan. I hope we speak later."

Conan gave her a nod and walked towards other adventurers. He wondered to who he should talk first as he looked across the room.

He didn't have to ponder long as he heard someone calling him. "Hey, you there!" Conan turned towards the place where the voice came from. At one of the tables, he saw a man with strawberry blonde hair and eyes dressed in blue armour with yellow highlights and a spear at his side. That man was currently gesturing at him to come.

He approached the man and noticed another person that was next to him. She was a beautiful woman with purple hair, yet another unusual trait he noticed, dressed in revealing black robes. She also had a huge pointed hat, which Conan found to look a bit funny, and was smoking a pipe.

"So, you're the new recruit, eh?" asked the man, which Conan guessed was named Spearman with all the titles thrown around.

"I am? You must have some great deduction abilities to have figured that one out," Conan joked causing the purple-haired woman to laugh and the man to grunt.

"Yeah, very funny," exclaimed Spearman with some frustration.

The woman then turned her gaze towards Conan. "So, why have… you joined… the Guild?" she asked with a somewhat seductive tone.

Conan then raised an eyebrow at the way the woman spoke. Was it some sort of speaking disability or was it from the pipe, though Conan doubted the latter considering he could tell when people are intoxicated and this woman definitely wasn't. And in his opinion, the way she talked seemed to fit her.

"I need to make some money so I came here. Seemed like a fun way to earn a healthy profit," explained Conan not seemingly affected by the woman's charm.

"Oh, so you think this is some sort of fun," said the Spearman. "You must be really confident in your skills if you think this line of work will be fun. Though, honestly, many newbies think like that before they come disappointed. If they come back at all."

"Oh really?" Conan asked not at all intimidated by the man's speech. "And what rank might you be?"

"Silver. So is my partner here. What's it too you?"

"Heh, if you are silver rank then I'll be silver rank sooner than expected," Conan taunted with a smirk.

That stirred up some anger within the Spearman and he rose up from his chair.

That caused the woman to let out a small gasp. "Oh, my."

Spearman got in front of Conan, and only now noticed the height difference between them. Conan was a head taller than he was but he didn't let it intimidate him. He faced things that were far bigger. "You think you're some hot stuff, mister? Heh, I bet you'll get killed on your first goblin mission."

Conan let out a chuckle. "And I bet you only got that rank for only doing goblin missions," Conan taunted back.

That actually caused a vein to pop out of Spearman's forehead. The taunt hit him more than the barbarian realised. Just saying that he got where he was from just killing weak goblins was already insult enough but there actually was someone who became silver ranked just from doing goblin missions and he wasn't particularly fond of that person.

"Now listen here," Spearman pretty much yelled at this point. Even gaining attention from some of the adventurers "If you think yo-"

He couldn't finish the sentence before Conan's fist landed straight on his face and sending him flying from the table.

This caused the people who were watching to look shocked. Even the purple-haired woman looked legitimately shocked at what occurred. Anyone else in the Guild that wasn't paying attention was now looking at the scene.

Spearman was lying on the ground; his table was located in a more isolated part so no other tables were broken, and his hand was nursing his bleeding nose. He then glared at Conan who just stood there smirking.

Spearman got up and readied his spear for a fight. "Now you've gone too far."

Conan's hand found itself on his sword's hilt. "If you didn't see that punch coming then I must say you won't stand much of a chance."

Spearman wiped some blood off his nose. "You just caught me off guard. Won't happen again."

"That's enough, you two!" exclaimed a voice next to them.

It belonged to a beautiful young woman with long blond hair wearing form-fitting plate armour and a sheathed sword strapped to her side. Right now she had a stern expression as she faced them.

"Fights within the Guild Hall are not allowed. If you want to fight take it outside," she exclaimed as she pointed toward a door with her thumb.

"This is hardly a fight. I'm just putting certain someone in his place," said Conan causing Spearman to glare at him further.

Then the purple haired woman stepped in front of Conan. "Now, now... there is… no need… to cause… a ruckus in… here. I'm pretty… sure we can… talk like… the civilized… people we are," she said with a seductive smile aimed at Conan.

Conan gave a chuckle at that. "I have been called many things in my homeland, but 'civilized' wasn't one of them."

"Enough," the blonde-haired woman spoke in an authoritative tone. "You're not fighting inside and that's final."

Spearman scoffed. "Fine then," he said before once again glaring at Conan. "You're lucky she came in. I could have taken you blindfolded."

"It's usually loudmouths like you that get done in first," Conan remarked.

"Come now… no reason… to start… insulting… each other," said the purple-haired woman. "Why don't… you come… sit with us?" she asked gesturing towards a seat next to her.

Spearman looked at her as he held his bleeding nose. "You can't be serious."

The woman turned to her partner. "We just… started on… the wrong foot. I'm sure… it would be… better if… we got along," she said before turning back to Conan. "What do… you say… handsome?" she asked giving Conan a teasing smirk.

Conan just gave her a grin. "Alright then," he said as he took a seat.

"By the… way, you should… really get your… nose checked," the woman said to her partner.

"Can't you just heal it?"

The woman just smiled. "No need… to unnecessarily… use magic. Plus, do you… really want to… become dependent… on me?" she asked, gesturing towards herself while putting her hand on her bountiful chest.

The Spearman just groaned and walked away to find someone to tend to his nose, but not before giving Conan one last glare which seemingly didn't bother him at all.

"You should keep your lover on a leash. He might end up pissing off the wrong person," Conan said.

"He isn't… my lover," the woman said with a barely noticeable sad tone in her voice. "Our relationship… is strictly… professional. And in his… defence… you are the… one who… taunted him."

"Then he really is a blind fool. And don't blame me, he thought I wouldn't be able to handle myself and I'm pretty sure I got my point across pretty efficiently," Conan explained. He knew there were other ways he could have proved himself, like doing some missions or even officially challenging him, but this outcome brought the most amusement to the barbarian?

The woman chuckled. "Well, that… you certainly… did," she said. "Though… maybe he… could use… a lesson. He is… usually quite… boastful." She then cast a glance at Guild Girl. "Especially… towards her."

Conan looked back at the girl in question who was now greeting another adventurer. Even he had to admit that she was a beautiful woman but he didn't think he would be able to keep things professional with this beautiful sorceress by his side.

"But enough… about that," she said bringing Conan's attention back to her. "Let's talk… about you. What brings… you to… the Adventurer's… Guild?"

Before he went into details one of the waitresses came to his table and asked if they wanted something to order. Conan ordered some ale, which he could afford with the money the villagers gave him as thanks. Then Conan proceeded to explain everything. How he was stranded in this land that was unknown to him, his two encounters with goblins and what he was planning to do while he is here.

The woman, who is known as the Witch from what she told him, actually gained a serious look on her face. "I see," she said before inhaling and exhaling some smoke from her pipe. Goblin attacks on villages weren't uncommon but she still felt sorry about those people. They were lucky Conan was there before any more damage could be done. "That is… quite a predicament… you found yourself… in. I'm honestly… not sure… who would… be able… to help you. Our country… has very few… shipping routes. Not many… would voyage… into unknown... just on a… stranger's request, and from… what you've… told me… you don't even… have a general… direction on where… to go. To be honest… there is a… very low… chance of you… actually finding… someone who… would be… able, much less… willing to… help you."

Conan groaned and took a swig of his ale, nearly emptying half of it. "So I'm back where I began," he muttered out a complaint with slight frustration present in his voice. "Do you at least know someone who might help me?"

The Witch shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I… don't."

Conan sighed. Sure, this wasn't the first time he was stranded somewhere but at least he could find a way home afterwards. But in this land, he and everything he knew was completely useless. In previous situations when he asked about people usually gave him some directions, but here he seemingly couldn't get even that.

Conan took another swig of his drink which was now nearly empty. He weighed his options. He could commandeer a boat, it wouldn't be the first time he did so, and use it to get back. But considering he was explained about lack of long voyaging in this land they most likely didn't have many ships built for it and those that by some chance were would be under heavy guard. And even then he absolutely had no idea where to go and lack of experience from whatever crew would be on that ship might get them killed.

Another option was earning enough money to actually pay for such a voyage. But that could take a long time considering how expensive those were in his homeland and here they would definitely be even more so. He might as well have grey hairs when he actually earns enough.

He then thought if he could earn a favour of some high ranking nobleman he might be able to use that favour to afford it, but even the chances were very nil. Either for their willingness, since he has experience of nobles betraying his trust, and the chances of getting any favours from them are very slim.

All in all, it seemed Conan was stuck here for a long time unless something miraculous happens. With that thought, he took another drink but blinked when he felt there was barely anything left in his tankard.

He noticed the waitress from before and called out to her. "Girl, give me another one!" That caught the waitress off guard before she looked at who was calling for her and nodded at Conan.

The Witch saw the frustrated look on Conan's face. "Will you… be alright?" she asked concerned.

"Well, from what you told me," he began as the waitress came with his ale. "I might as well settle in. Unless you have some sort of magic to teleport me back."

"I'm sorry, but… I don't have… any spell... that could… do that. Especially in… your situation," the Witch explained. She didn't like to be the bearer of bad news but there was no point in lying to him.

Conan took a gulp from his new ale, actually emptying half of it. "I figured," he said. Though he honestly found the woman's company pleasant. She was seductive but serious and truthful when needed, a combination he liked in women. And it was refreshing to talk to a mage that wasn't trying to kill him by either sending monsters or throwing scorpions at him.

"I'm sorry… I'm not… much of… help. I would… gladly help… you if… I could," she said with a softer tone indicating the sadness for Conan's situation. She could only imagine being stranded in an unknown land with no way back.

"Don't. Believe me, pity is the last thing I need," he said and emptied his tankard once again. Then he looked at her with a small smile. "And drop the sad expression. It doesn't fit a face as beautiful as yours."

That actually did cause her to smile and even blush. She received compliments before but usually, the men were extremely flustered or barely had words to say. Or they were Spearman. But Conan here was different. He noticed her beauty and didn't shy away from it, even when she was seductive. All of which was possible thanks to Conan's experience with women from Zamora.

She inhaled and exhaled some smoke from her pipe. "Why… thank you," she said. "But… are you… sure you'll… be alright? You… shouldn't just… drown your… sorrows… away with… alcohol."

Conan gave her a dismissive wave before replying. "I try not to ponder too much on the negative. Life is too short for that," he explained. "Besides, if ale won't help then I'll find someone to warm my bed tonight. That also usually helps."

The Witch chuckled at his bluntness. "Funny how… here you… are talking… with me… and just… saying you'll… find another… woman to bed."

Conan gave her a shrug. "Why lie about it? Besides," he started and got a bit closer to the woman. "who says I would be with someone else?" he asked suggestively.

"Oh my," she exclaimed softly and put her hand on her chest. "Are you… making advances… on poor old… me?"

Conan just smirked in amusement. "I can tell that you can handle yourself. You are anything but poor. And you said that the man with you wasn't your lover and that he wasn't interested. I hardly see any harm in it."

The Witch was about to respond but she gave it a thought. No matter how many times she tried to get her teammate's attention he never seemed to notice her in any romantic way, always fighting and showing off for Guild Girl's attention. Perhaps she could once in a while find some sort of relief.

"And… what did… you have… in mind… exactly?"

**AN: And that's the end of this chapter. Unfortunately, I feel like this will the last one I post this week. I'm actually surprised I was able to post it in the first place, but I can't complain.**

**I hope I at least made the character interaction believable. I know some people could argue that the Witch wouldn't consider sleeping with Conan, but a person can only take being ignored so far.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	4. 3 A chance meeting

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's another chapter of The Stranded Barbarian, finished it a day earlier than I thought I would. Now unto reviews**

**Ronmr: Hell yeah he is. And no, I won't be writing full lemons here. Only implications and vague details.**

**CasualFictionWriter23: Great to hear that I could impress you. **

**As for is he as tall as Heavy Warrior, I'd say Conan is taller. In Goblin Slayer Brand New Day spin-off Heavy Warrior and Spearman were shown next to each other and Heavy Warrior was not that much taller than him. Conan's height is estimated to be around 6' 6''(198 cm), Goblins Slayer's is 5'9''(175 cm) and those two were taller by an inch or two, putting them at 6'0'' range. Conan in nearer the height of Lizard Priest actually.**

**ZILLAFAN: Already shipping those two, aren't ya? Don't worry, they'll meet.**

**Guest: Well I try my best to keep him in character.**

**Evowizard25: Thank you for the compliment. It means a lot.**

**Yeah, Witch needs some lovin' as well.**

**I think you misunderstood. I don't have a problem with the naming in Goblin Slayer universe. Conan's thoughts don't mirror my own, I just wrote how I thought he would react.**

**Man, it seems shipping Conan with Amazon Warrior is going to be popular in this fic. Put your mind to rest, they will meet.**

**Zealot: How is that NTR? Witch and Spearman aren't together.**

3 A chance meeting

In a place away from civilization was an old temple, damaged from age and decay, cracks and foliage adoring its once mighty walls, the oval-shaped roof on it had so many holes on it that it hardly served its purpose, a few pillars surrounding the temple's circular exterior was toppled down and any paint that could be on it dried up long ago. It was also very big, more than a usual temple. Hundreds of people could easily be comfortable in it with plenty of room to spare.

All of these characteristics made it perfect for a group of goblins to make the temple their settlement. The group was led by a goblin shaman who was, while sitting on a stone table and discussing with other goblins, planning on their next pillaging of a village.

People usually underestimated goblins. Sure they weren't really as smart as humans or as strong, but that doesn't mean they aren't dangerous. Many villages can attest to that since they were attacked by hordes of goblins and got many men and children killed and women kidnapped.

He remembered how he got to where he is. He was just a little babe when a group of adventurers came to his nest and killed all the adult goblins. When they saw several little children goblins they felt pity and let them live.

Fools. The moment they turned away the children attacked them in rage, killing two adventurers but the last one was able to retaliate before they could kill him. In rage after what happened the adventurer started killing the children as well. The shaman would have also been killed if, much to the surprise of both shaman and the adventurer, he shot out a fireball from his hand straight into the adventurer's face.

The fool writhed in agony for a minute before collapsing on the floor dead, with the skull completely visible and ashen from the fire.

That moment changed the shaman's life for the better. He was taken in by another group of goblins and taken under a wing of another shaman who heard what he did and wanted to teach him magic. Turns out he was a prodigy when it came to magic, memorizing and learning quickly.

It wasn't long until he got to lead his own group of goblins. They already attacked several villages but had to abandon the old base once it was compromised by other adventurer's, forcing them to flee. This group seemed stronger and more equipped than the one who attacked shaman's old nest which made him realize that the group from back then were more than likely just rookie adventurers. Realizing he was outclassed he escaped with his goblins.

Then his group found this old temple. He had no idea what it was for or who built it. They just knew it was abandoned and big enough to fit a city worth of goblins. Some of the pillars that were toppled had some sort of statues on top of them, though shaman couldn't figure out what they were exactly or what purpose they served.

When they looked inside it wasn't in much better shape than the outside. It was dusty, adorned with ruined tapestry, some stone chairs arranged in several rows no doubt for the worshipers, either in passable shape or ruined, paintings on the walls which either depicted people or some monsters and something which looked like an altar at the end but it was ruined so much it was barely recognizable. Some paintings depicted events which the shaman assumed were of conflict though with how some walls crumbled and many parts ruined it was hard to tell.

The first floor was pretty spacious with hardly anything on it. There was a room in it with a circular staircase that led to the second floor, which was pretty much the attic. Several rooms were there which the shaman thought was a bonus since it would make living arrangements easier.

With everything set, shaman grinned in anticipation. With this excellent new base, they would be more than ready to attack the next village. The upper floor was perfect for women they were going to kidnap and children that would be born.

They just now needed to decide at what time they should head out and attack.

Whatever they were discussing was interrupted when they heard a few groans coming from the side. They turned towards the source and saw that two goblins were apparently goofing around and one ended up slamming head into a wall.

The Shaman groaned. This was exactly why people underestimated them. It honestly got to his nerves sometimes.

They let out a few guttural sounds which were the way they communicated. It was primitive and hardly understood by humans but it served them well enough.

The Shaman went to scold the two who were beginning to argue but something else caught his eye. The place where one of them slammed his head seemed to cave in a bit. He pushed the two of them aside and put his hand on the place. He pushed slightly and the brick that made the wall started to move until it completely fell out on the other side of the wall.

The Shaman then turned around and ordered a few goblins to do the same thing. They pushed against the wall and slammed their weapons until it collapsed with a rumbling sound that echoed throughout the temple.

The wall was revealed to hide some sort of staircase that led down… somewhere. The darkness obscuring whatever was down there.

Though the Shaman was curious at what was there and ordered some of the goblins to stand guard while he took some of them with him to investigate.

He used a spell which made his shaman staff emit light. He went down the stairs with half a dozen goblins with him, with his staff as a source of light. They descended for several minutes before the stairs ended. They found themselves in what seemed to be another spacious area. The shaman tried to shine brighter but couldn't get much more than the stone floor beneath them.

Then, to their surprise, several torches started lighting up. The torches were placed on walls on the edges of the room revealing it to be circular in shape. The illuminated room now seemed to be more like a cave, since the walls weren't shaped by brick and the rough floor wasn't tiled.

In the center of the room was a slope that had a stone box on top of it. The group looked around to see if anything else was there but found nothing besides the torches.

The Shaman ordered one of the goblins to go to that stone box and look what's inside, not revealing he was also sending him as a test to see if there were any traps.

The goblin walked to the slope with no apparent trouble on the way. He walked up and examined the box. He called out to the rest of them to see what he found.

The Shaman and others quickly walked up to the box and shaman noticed on the way a stone lid that was next to the box. When he got close he saw that the box was taller than he was so he called for two of them to help him see.

When he was lifted up he saw an opening that was most certainly covered by that stone lid from before. When he saw what's inside it caught him off guard.

In the box, which he now assumed was a kind of grave, was a human. At least that's what it seemed to be. He was dressed in green robes, his feet and hands covered by bandages, and only his head visible. The head was definitely the most interesting part since it didn't resemble a head that should be on a living human, yet it also didn't resemble any monster. It barely had flesh on it, so little it actually outlined his skull. But surprisingly his eyeballs were still intact and didn't seem to rot away like they should on a corpse.

The man had too little flesh on his head for a normal human to be alive, but he also wasn't a lich or something similar since those just had skulls with nothing else. What was he exactly?

Then the shaman suddenly gasped catching the other goblins off guard.

Outside the cave-like room, the guards that were put there were suddenly frightened by the screams that came from downstairs and a loud hissing sound that echoed up.

The Witch woke up with a slight groan, her eyes fluttering open as she felt something hard and warm wrapped around her. She then saw a roof that didn't belong to her usual room.

She then focused on this source of warmth and saw a bronze-skinned muscular arm wrapped around her back with the hand on her waist. Her gaze went to the source of the warmth and saw that she was pressed against someone else, seeing the already familiar mane of black hair and the sleeping handsome face of the man who she met yesterday.

She then started recalling the events that happened before this. After he told her of his situation they ordered themselves a few drinks, Conan more than her since she wasn't really a drinker. Then a lot of the things were a blur. Her memories flashed to suddenly being in a different room, Conan's lips on top of her own, his tongue on her neck, breasts, and shoulders. The sounds of grunts and moans coming from the two of them, her being pressed against the wall as Conan entered her, sounds of flesh pounding against flesh, rise of perspiration and the feeling of great pleasure.

With her memories of last night pretty much restored, she let out a blush. She felt sore, especially in the pelvic area. She couldn't believe how last night felt so good. Despite her seductive nature, she didn't really have some experience with men. That certainly wasn't the case for Conan. He was able to easily find her weak spots and almost immediately make her wet and the pleasure she felt nearly made her pass out. And she was pretty sure she tired out before he did.

Now it Conan's turn to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes to adjust to the morning light, feeling the already familiar presence of a woman lying next to him. He looked around the room and saw that they had their passionate night in a room he rented at the inn.

He remembered inviting the woman for drinks after their conversation in the Guild. He visited the inn the guard from the gates told him about. At first, she questioned why since they could easily drink at the guild but Conan explained it would give them more privacy later. The inn itself didn't seem like anything special, Conan actually saw better-looking ones while this looked pretty regular.

However, it all changed when he ordered drinks. While the inn didn't look special their drinks were great. They tasted incredible and they were also pretty strong. Even if you weren't a drinker after having some you would want more.

The Witch told him she didn't usually drink, she was more of a smoke person, but after some convincing from Conan she gave it a try. Her lack of experience with alcohol showed as she was already getting a bit dizzy from only a couple of gulps from her tankard.

After a bit of talking and laughter, Conan rented a room. It wasn't long before clothes started littering the floor and the two started to enjoy a night of passion. The woman may have lacked experience but that didn't mean she was a slouch in bed. In fact, it was of the better lays he had in a while.

Right now his gaze went towards the woman next to him, looking pretty content from their experience if her smile was any indication.

"Are you alright? I hope I wasn't too rough on you," said Conan. He had previous experiences where he could go a bit too strong and he got complaints from his lovers about not being able to walk straight for a while.

"Oh, I'm… just fine," she replied as she sat up. "It was a… very pleasant… experience. I must… thank you."

Conan gave her a chuckle. She honestly wasn't the first one who had such reaction, with the person lacking experience in sex and he being the one who introduced them to the new pleasure of flesh. Princess Yasmela of Khoraja could attest to that.

"So, will you now return to your companion in the guild?" Conan asked.

The Witch didn't give him an answer immediately, as if pondering if she should actually do that. Her companion was extremely capable and he could do very well without her. No to mention he sure liked to brag about his abilities.

But could she really just abandon him because she found herself having a night of pleasure? Or was Conan proposing that he be her companion instead? Sure he was a low-ranking member and it would be strange for a silver rank to join with him so suddenly, not that she had any prejudices against that, but based on the punch he gave to Spearman, not an easy feat considering many things she saw fail to catch him off guard, he already seemed silver rank material.

"Do you… want me all… to yourself?" she asked with a slight tease present in her while also looking for a possible motive behind his question.

"Why bother trying to get the attention of another if he isn't interested? Or is he in some sort of desperate need of you and your abilities?"

The Witch shook her head. "No, he… isn't. But we were… teammates for… a long time. It would be... strange to just… leave him because... I found… a man. It isn't… just because… you like someone… that you… join in a… group. His is… still a… friend."

Conan shrugged. "It's your choice to make. I just made a suggestion," he said. "But if you don't want to abandon your comrade, I understand." Conan understood the meaning of comradery. He had many throughout his life and abandoning them isn't something he would be willing to do. If the woman wasn't with Spearman just because she likes him he isn't going to force her to leave.

The Witch gave him a genuine smile, not like one of her usual seductive ones, happy to see him so understanding. She honestly expected him to try even further to convince her to join him but much to her surprise he didn't. She honestly started respecting him more.

"Well then," she began. "Shall we… go to… the Guild? You still… need to… do some quests… if you want… to rise… in rank."

"Might as well," Conan said while getting up from his bed. He then started to put on his clothes, or what little he had, and turned back to the Witch who also started dressing. "Do you have any suggestions on what kind of quest?"

"Well… I think that… you should… probably do… some goblin quests… for a… start. Just so… you could… familiarize yourself… with the… process," she suggested. She knew from his stories he can easily handle goblins and from the way he caught Spearman off guard he was more than capable but she wanted to play it safe for a while. It wouldn't be very appropriate to just give him a challenging quest right of the bat. Plus she was very worried that he would be lost too soon if she did.

Conan noticed her real intentions from the start, but he didn't voice upon them. He honestly found it flattering that she would be worried about him. And she wouldn't be the first woman to do so. He remembered several instances where he was in a life-threatening situation and was saved by some woman who cared for him. Many would actually tease him about needing to be saved by a woman but it never bothered him since he knew better.

Once they got ready they immediately went from the inn to the Guild Hall. When they entered they were greeted with the smiling face of Guild Girl.

Conan then approached her desk, "Are there any goblin quests I could do?"

That caught Guild Girl off guard causing her face to gain a look surprise. Usually, it is just beginners that ask for goblin quests just because they thought it was easy and more experienced adventurer would consider it a waste of time. And from what she saw from this man suggested that while he was new he definitely wouldn't be considered a beginner.

She then got back her smile. "Alright then," she said before looking through some papers. She was happy knowing there is at least someone else not taking goblin quests just because they thought it would be easy money.

After a bit of searching, she pulled out some papers. "Alright, here we have a report on goblins terrorizing a village southwest of here," she said as she handed Conan the paper. "Most details are written in the paper, including the payment you will receive if you finish this request."

Conan took the paper and read it. It appeared that about a week ago the village was attacked by goblins and they requested help only yesterday. And the payment seemed pretty good. A hefty amount of silver and copper. Though he didn't really know the address due to his unfamiliarity with the land so he would probably have to ask for directions. Or maybe find a carriage, but he wasn't sure if he would have enough money to pay for the trip.

He finished reading and was about to put the paper away before he heard someone behind him speak in a monotone voice.

"Are there any goblin requests?" the voice was muffled from what Conan assumed was a helmet. Beside him, the Witch looked at the newcomers and smiled.

Guild Girl's expression then got brighter as she turned towards the person who asked the question, but got down a bit as she remembered something. "Oh, sorry, but no. The last request was taken by this gentleman, here," Guild Girl said as she gestured towards Conan.

"Huh, guess you'll have to go on a real quest after all," Conan heard a female voice behind him speak.

Conan turned around to see who was behind him and when he got a good look at the group he jumped back in surprise. The group consisted of five people, a man dressed head-to-toe in armor, a short man with a white beard, a green-haired girl with pointed ears, a blonde-haired woman dressed in white robes and, who is actually the one who caught Conan off guard, was a man with a head of green lizard dressed in some sort of strange priest garb and a feathered headdress.

"By Crom!" Conan exclaimed as his hand found a way to his sword also causing the others to go in an alarmed state.

"Hey, buddy, what's your problem?" exclaimed the pointy-eared woman.

Conan let out a growl, getting his sword out and getting the new adventurers on guard. Even the Witch looked at him in shock. "My problem? Unless you are blind I'm sure you'd see a man-lizard behind you."

The short man glanced behind him then back at Conan. "He is our friend. Unless you have some sort of problem with lizardmen."

Then, to Conan's further shock, the lizardman spoke. "It's alright. He isn't the first one to react like that. And he certainly won't be the last."

Conan blinked, even forgetting he had his sword out of its sheath. This creature actually spoke a meaningful sentence. And in such a sophisticated way that even some humans aren't capable of.

"Look here," Conan heard the pointy-eared woman say. He saw that she was holding a bow with a notched arrow pointed at his face. "This 'man-lizard' is our companion and friend. I don't know what discriminating views you have on his kind but we won't tolerate them. So you better put that sword away right now or my arrow will find a way to your brain."

"You better listen to her, stranger. She'll go through with her threat, believe me," said the short man as his hand found a way to his pocket. "But don't expect her to be alone in that regard. You fight one of our own, you fight all of us." He then looked at the armored man. "Right, Beardcutter?"

The said 'Beardcutter', a title which Conan found a bit perplexing since it didn't really make anyone appear special unless you were a barber and this man certainly wasn't, didn't gave a verbal reply and just turned towards Conan. At first, he didn't seem to do anything but Conan could see the slight twitch of his arm which indicated that he would reach for the short sword he had on his hip.

"That's enough, all of you," Conan heard the lizardman talk. "There is no need to fight over something so trivial. We just started on the wrong foot. I'm if we start over we could improve our relations." He then approached Conan and outstretched his hand. "Hello, stranger. I'm known as Lizard Priest. I hope we can become companions."

Conan just looked at Lizard Priest for a moment and then to his outstretched hand. He was still shocked at the civilized way he was behaving. He also couldn't see any maliciousness coming from him, no suspicious hand twitches or anything in his expression that would give away his intent.

Then Conan remembered something else from his past. Another creature that wasn't human but still acted like a civilized person, who was also treated as less than human because he simply didn't look like one. He berated himself in his head. He should know better by now.

Conan's expression became more relaxed, and he put his sword back into his sheath. He then took Lizard Priest's hand with his own and shook it. "I'm Conan of Cimmeria. I'm sorry about the way I acted before."

Lizard Priest then smiled at him and Conan gave a smile. "As I said, it wasn't the first time someone of my people got that reaction from humans. But to your credit, you did better than others would."

The Archer put away her bow and the dwarf took his hand out of his pocket and grinned. The blonde-haired woman gave a sigh, the armored man barely showed any reaction, probably because of that helmet, and Witch and Guild Girl looked relieved.

Conan and Lizard Priest stopped shaking hands and, now that he calmed down, Conan got a better look at the group and noticed several details he hadn't before. Like the green hair that the pointy-eared woman had, he guessed he could expect to see strangely colored hair more often from this point, and how the armored man wore armor that seemed slightly damaged, for example, the broken horns at the sides of his helmet, and in addition to the sword he wore several pouches on his armor.

The blonde girl also more resembled a priest with her outfit and he noticed the staff she held in her small hands. Was she also a magician? If that was the case, then he wished there were more magicians like her back at his homeland. He was sure she would make better company than most.

"So…" the silence was broken by Guild Girl. "any other quests that might interest you, Goblin Slayer?"

Goblin Slayer? Now that was a title that seemed to be more dignified. Though he wondered what the story behind it was. Was it really just killing goblins or is it some peculiar event that earned him the nickname? He decided he would sate that curiosity another time, and focus on his job he now had.

"No, not really," Goblin Slayer answered. "I'll come back some other time to see if there are goblin quests." He then turned away and began walking towards the door with the pointy-eared woman looking annoyed.

"I have… a proposition," the Witch said gaining everyone's attention and making Goblin Slayer turn back. "How about… you go… with him… Goblin Slayer? So you could… give him… a few… pointers. You are… the expert… on this… matter… after all."

Conan then raised an eyebrow at that proposition. "And then having to share my profits? Sorry, but I don't think this needs that special attention. I'm sure I can handle a couple of goblins." He then turned toward Guild Girl. "Just sign my name up for it and I'll take care of it."

"You seem pretty underdressed to fight goblins," commented Goblin Slayer on Conan's lack of armor on his person.

Conan gave him a shrug. "It wouldn't be the first time I was without armor. And I faced those little devils without it. No need to waste money for a simple job."

Goblin Slayer then decided to just stop talking to him. To him, this man was just another person who didn't take the threat of the goblins seriously and thought they were just easy money and adventuring experience. He doubted he would be able to convince Conan to think otherwise so he didn't even bother elaborating.

However, the Priestess had other plans. She walked up to Conan with a pleading look. "Please, sir. I know that you think fighting goblins is easy, but I can tell you it isn't. I'm the only survivor of my team. We thought we could take on the goblins but others were killed and the only reason I'm alive is because of Goblin Slayer," she said with a hint of desperation in her voice, tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered her former team. She still remembered Warrior's confidence in the mission and how positive her teammates were when they went to confront goblins, only for it all to be destroyed and most of them killed or mentally broken. She wasn't going to let that fate fall upon anyone else.

Conan just looked at the girl pleading before him. He was actually touched by her concern for his wellbeing even though he found it strange since she never met him before. Perhaps she was just that good of heart, something really lacking in this world. And her story also stirred some memories of his, him also witnessing deaths of people who were overconfident in their fighting abilities, even some who had excellent fighting abilities but still taken out by surprise. Would he end up the same trying to fight those goblins?

She continued. "So, please, listen to him. Don't let your confidence lead you to an early death." Her voice cracked, she was on the verge of crying.

Conan thought about it for a minute. Should he risk going on this quest alone? He may as well be capable of completing it without aid but goblins were something he only fought twice and maybe they had more to offer. Or maybe he should make sure to get out of this situation alive and share half of his profits? He weighed his options before making a decision.

"Alright, girl, you convinced me. I will accept assistance from your friend," said Conan making the girl smile. Guild Girl and Witch were also relieved at his choice. He then looked towards Goblin Slayer. "So what do you say to that? Are you willing to share the quest?"

Goblin Slayer was silent for a few moments before he answered. "Fine."

The pointy-eared woman gave a smirk. "Well, Orcbolg, looks like we've got another teammate in our adventuring party."

"Don't misunderstand," said Conan. "I agreed for him to assist me in this quest, but that's only for this time. This isn't me joining your adventuring party; I'm just getting temporary assistance from your teammate."

"Fine then, your loss."

"I assume you'd want me to buy myself some armor," Conan said to Goblin Slayer remembering his previous comment.

Goblin Slayer nodded. "Yes, that would be a good start."

"Well, I'm sorry to say, but I don't think I could afford some armor with the money I have."

The green-haired girl grinned at Conan's words. "Oh, you won't have to worry about that."

Conan got out of the armor shop that Goblin Slayer led him to and was now adorned in chainmail armor with paddings underneath, new boots and a new shirt below the armor. Goblin Slayer's party was waiting for him outside.

"Is that all you'll get?" asked Goblin Slayer. "You should also get yourself a helmet."

"I don't need more than this; it would just be a waste of money," Conan said. "Well then, shall we head off?"

**AN: And that's all for now. We got to see a new threat rise and Conan finally meeting with our favorite group. Not much action in this one, but don't worry, the next one will have more of it. See you then!**


	5. 4 A surprise from the shadows

The Stranded Barbarian

4 A surprise from the shadows

**AN: Well, this fic has reached over 1000 views. Now I know that compared to some other fics that isn't much, but it makes me happy to see how many like this. So, as a small celebration, I give you a new chapter early. And thank you all for the support you've given me so far.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Ronmr: Well, this chapter should make for a compelling proof of that.**

**Guest: Conan wore armor plenty of times actually. It's just that he didn't think he would need it for this occasion. And he was underestimated before, so no surprise it happened.**

**Evowizard25: Thank you. And yeah, just because she found someone she liked doesn't mean she would just abandon a friend.**

**Oh, you've seen nothing yet,**

**She sure is. And they'll see soon that it isn't just arrogance. Though, there is another reason why Witch was adamant about it.**

**And thank you for the advice. I tried to go a novel route, but apparently, fanfiction doesn't recognize blank rows.**

* * *

On a remote desert, a group of bandits were preparing camp to spend the night. They were getting ready to begin a raid on a village at the outskirts of the desert and they wanted to be prepared.

The group was pretty big, over a hundred easily. Many men and women from different backgrounds and cultures all gathered in a single place. All of them wrapped in cloths to protect them from the scorching Sun in the sky but now removed due to near nightfall.

Their camp consisted of many tents, with the biggest tent being used for meetings and discussing strategies. Right now, four people, who were the leaders of the group, stood at the table in the center of the tent and were discussing the best plan to raid the village.

"This village should be pretty easy," said a dark-skinned man with medium-length black hair and a goatee as he used his curved dagger to point at the map they had. "From what I got, the defenses of the village are pretty weak, and our forces would have no trouble overpowering them. We could easily go through the front door."

"Nothing is as simple as it seems," said one, and only woman of the group. She sported brown hair that was cut short and was pretty tall, the second tallest there. "Just barging in isn't a good solution. We must prepare for more scenarios."

"Hah, you worry too much," said another, the youngest in the group, sporting slightly spiked black hair. "What's wrong with simple approaches? Those are the most fun."

"She is just being careful," chimed in the tallest of the group. "An example you should follow."

The young man just dismissed the suggestion, seeing it as nothing more than a waste of time.

"You won't need to strategize about this anymore," said a raspy voice that caught the four of them off guard. They didn't expect anyone to come into the tent

When they turned, they saw that at the entrance was a tall, some would say inhumanly tall, and really lean figure covered in green robes with a hood obscuring a view of his head, and his arms and legs wrapped in bandages. In one hand he was carrying a staff which appeared to be just a staff made of wood but considering he wasn't putting any of his weight on they were sure it wasn't used for walking.

The four bandit leaders tensed, not recognizing the man as anyone from their group, and surely they would notice someone that tall, and the fact that they would have been informed if anyone was even nearing the camp yet he was able to walk up to their tent without any commotion caused.

They prepared to take out their weapons. "Who are you? How did you get through the camp?" the Female Bandit asked in a demanding tone.

"I'm someone who comes to you with a special offer. And as for how, I concealed myself using magic so I could come to you undisturbed," the man explained.

"So you are a wizard, then," said the Tall Bandit, his hand near his hammer. "And what is that offer of yours, if I may ask?"

"Quite simple," the wizard began. "All of you," he said while gesturing towards the group with his bandaged hand, which they noticed was really thin, even for a man as lean as him. "are going to serve me. And in my service, I'll make sure you never need to resort to some petty raids on pathetic villages."

The dark-skinned bandit narrowed his eyes. "Sorry, but no, thank you. We aren't going to serving anyone."

"You're not even going to consider my offer?" asked the wizard getting a shake of the head from that bandit. "And what of the rest of you?" he asked while turning his gaze towards the other three.

Before anyone could make a response "I said no! And you are an intruder here! Therefore, you'll be eliminated!" the dark-skinned bandit exclaimed before drawing his blade from his hip and lunging at the wizard.

The wizard then extended an enclosed fist in the air. He then flicked his index finger upward, a strange gesture seemingly aimed towards the attacking bandit leader. As the leader bandit drew near an explosion suddenly appeared where his head was, causing the rest of them to gasp in shock.

The headless body of the bandit fell on the ground with blood leaking from it. The three bandit leaders stared at it seemingly completely frozen in place since their now dead comrade was actually the best fighter in their group and this wizard just took him out with seemingly no effort.

"Now then," the wizard's voice made their heads snap in his direction. "I believe you'll be more inclined to listen to what I have to say."

* * *

Conan and the group of adventurers that joined Goblin Slayer were sitting in a carriage that was being driven towards their destination. Conan protested at first since he only agreed for Goblin Slayer to come with him but the others insisted they were just going to accompany them towards the village, only interfering if necessary so they ended accompanying them in the end. Conan at first wanted to go on foot but they decided that paying for a trip with a carriage was the better option.

Conan even got properly introduced to the group. The blond-haired girl was called Priestess, who has the ability to use healing magic and shields, the pointy-eared woman was called High Elf Archer, the short man was Dwarf Shaman, his specialty was also magic though more on the offensive side, the lizardman was Lizard Priest, yet another magic user though he could fight with a weapon, and he was already familiar with Goblin Slayer.

He was also shocked that, despite their appearance, High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman weren't humans, but two different species, with elves being distinguished by their pointy ears and dwarves by their short stature. But at least the 'elf' and 'dwarf' words in their titles now had some context. Another thing that shocked Conan was the fact that Archer was two thousand years old, longevity being another trait shared by the elves. Dwarves also lived longer than humans, the Shaman easily being over a hundred years old, but not nearly as elves. The two had to admit that Conan's expressions as he learned of this amused them.

The night was nearing and the group was almost ready to rest, but one of them was still curious about Conan.

"If I may ask," said Lizard Priest, gaining Conan's attention. "Where are you from, sir Conan? You must from some faraway place for you to have never even heard of elves or dwarves."

"Well, as I've said before, I am from a land called Cimmeria, which is located in the northern parts of the continent which I hail from."

That caught them off guard. They never heard of Cimmeria before, giving it more credibility of being a nation in a different continent altogether.

"You're from a different continent?" asked Elf Archer to which Conan gave a nod. He then proceeded to explain his situation of how he ended up stranded in this land.

Shaman started rubbing his chin with his forefinger and thumb. "That's quite a peculiar situation you found yourself in. I hope you can find a solution."

"Heh, I'll just keep doing this until I have enough money to buy a boat. Then I can try to find a way home."

"That's going to be quite a bummer," said High Elf Archer. "Especially since you don't know where to go exactly."

"I found myself in several seemingly impossible situations and came out alive. I'm sure I'll get out of this one as well."

"Sir Conan," said Lizard Priest, gaining Conan's attention. "Have you thought about settling here? It's a safer bet than trying to voyage without much direction."

"Believe me, even if I wanted to I couldn't. There are things back at my homeland that need to be taken care of. Staying here won't solve them," Conan said despite his mind considering if he should stay here. He wasn't even sure he would be able to get enough money time so perhaps he could just give up and stay here. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside. He wasn't going to give up now.

"I see. I understand."

Conan then cast a look at Goblin Slayer who just sat there, quiet as death. He seemingly didn't even move a muscle though Conan could notice some muscle twitches here and there, though it isn't something a lot of people would notice.

"So, what made you start slaying Goblins?" Conan asked.

"Goblins are monsters that need to be hunted down no matter the cost," Goblin Slayer explained in an emotionless tone.

"Heh, not much for talking, I see." Conan has seen those silent types before. Usually, they held a sort of dark past to them and they put a shell around themselves to hide their true selves from the world. However, that shell eventually takes over their identity, changing their very being. He guessed that his situation had something to do with goblins, but decided not to ask any further, at least not yet.

"Yeah, he is usually like that," the archer said in a somewhat annoyed tone. "You'll hear a lot of 'hmmm' and 'I see' responses from him. Just a heads up."

The dwarf then laughed. "Yeah, sometimes we think that Beard cutter's vocabulary is extremely limited. But then we heard him talk about goblins, then his words are matched by no one." This caused a smile to creep on Shaman's face and Priestess and Archer to laugh a bit.

Conan chuckled at that. They must be some group if they knew each other so well if they make jokes like that. That was a sense of comradery between them that Conan has experienced before and all the great things it had led to.

During their day of riding, which was pretty uneventful except for a few bumps on the road, Conan had been asking more questions about the land. Like if there were any major conflicts, wars and such. They said that there was currently a Hero who along with her companions is raging a war against the Demon Lord and his forces of Evil. It is also said that she will directly confront him very soon and bring an end to his reign.

All the wars and conflicts of the land were put on hold until the demon threat has been dealt with, though a few minor skirmishes do occur. There were some things that were just unavoidable, even during demon invasions.

Conan mentally scoffed when he heard that but wasn't too surprised. He knew that there were people dumb enough to cause conflict despite the bigger picture being right in front of them. Though he also saw that demon invasions were a lot more frequent here. Sure, he dealt with demons himself before but those were more or less isolated incidents. For this to bring the attention of so many countries must really something.

And he was also interested in this Hero. Apparently, she is the greatest warrior in all of the land and the only one with enough power to take down the evil lord. He would very much like to meet her one day.

The evening came and they stopped to get some rest. When morning came they ate some breakfast and resumed their drive towards the quest for several more hours.

"Alright, we're here," said the carriage driver as the carriage came to a sudden halt.

The group stepped off the carriage and headed into the village. It was a small rural place, nothing too special, made of about twenty buildings.

Lizard Priest turned towards Conan and Goblins Slayer. "We'll find ourselves temporary residence. You two can go and meet the man who ordered the contract."

"Will do." said Goblin Slayer in his usual tone.

"Hey, Conan," called High Elf Archer. "Don't be surprised if Orcbolg suddenly covers you in goblin blood. It's just one of the ways he deals with goblins."

Conan raised an eyebrow before looking over Goblin Slayer. "For hiding the scent, I assume," he suggested as he was familiar with similar ways of preparing for battle.

"Yeah," Goblin Slayer simply answered.

Priestess then walks up to them. "Please be careful. And don't hesitate to retreat if things get dire," she said in a soft tone, her eyes filled with slight worry. She was usually there to provide healing aid if any of them got injured but Conan was adamant that only Goblin Slayer accompanies him.

Conan smiled at the girl. "Don't worry yourself," he assured her. "I'm sure we'll handle ourselves fine. You just go with the others. We won't take long."

Conan's words seemed to put her somewhat at ease. She gave a smile and a nod before following the other three adventurers.

They watched them leave before Conan turned to Goblin Slayer. "Well then, shall we proceed?"

"Yeah," said Goblins Slayer.

Conan mentally sighed. A man of few words indeed.

* * *

After talking with the village leader they headed to the cave where the goblins were located. The leader explained that over a week ago they were attacked by goblins and they traced their tracks back to the cave located at the mountain on the east side of the village.

The two were currently in a forest that stood between the mountain and the village. They walked towards the mountain in silence, which was only broken by the sound of fur and steel boots stomping on the grassy ground.

After a few moments, Conan decided to speak up. "I never properly thanked you for getting me this armor. Without it, my situation would probably be harder. I'll make sure to pay you back."

"It's nothing. I could afford it."

"Maybe, but still I owe you," Conan said. He then decided to change the topic to something else. "So tell me," he began. "That Priestess, is she yours?" Conan saw the way the blonde girl acted around Goblin Slayer, specifically the looks of adoration on her face.

Goblin Slayer turned his head to the towering man walking beside him. "What do you mean?"

"What I'm asking is, is she your woman?"

Silence prevailed for a few moments before Goblins Slayer responded. "I don't get it."

Conan resisted an urge to facepalm. This man was a silver ranked adventurer, which is a pretty high rank, and he also killed so many goblins to get the name Goblins Slayer so he wasn't unfamiliar with death, and yet he still didn't know what Conan meant. Could he really be that naïve?

Regardless, Conan elaborated further. "Is she your lover?"

Once again, silence prevailed for a few moments. "Umm, no," Goblin Slayer answered before looking back at their path.

"No? Why not? I'm sure she wouldn't mind such a thing," said Conan. "Or maybe you have your eye set on another one."

"Not really," said Goblins Slayer.

The raven-haired barbarian couldn't believe his ears. This man wasn't interested in anyone? And it wasn't like he asked if he was in love with someone, just if he found someone attractive. Then another thought came to mind.

"Have you even had a lover before?"

"No," Goblin Slayer answered. He then once again turned his head towards Conan. "Is there a point to these questions? I doubt they will help us fight goblins."

Conan was now baffled. He thought that in the line of work that Goblin Slayer's a part of he would immediately find a woman and be done with it, at least to experience life to the fullest before you die. It's something that Conan has definitely done before. Was this man really so dead set on killing goblins that he forgoes everything else?

Conan just shook his head. "Forget about it, it isn't important," he said, not wanting to currently continue the topic. He won't be able to start a normal conversation with Goblin Slayer, apparently.

After a few more minutes of walking, the two found themselves at the base of the mountain. They started walking up a path that was located not too far on the right and started walking up. The path wasn't all that wide so they couldn't walk side by side so Conan decided to walk behind Goblin Slayer.

Some time passed and they found themselves at the entrance of the cave. Goblin Slayer took out an unlit torch and looked at his equipment to make sure he had everything. He then looked towards Conan and just saw him stare at the cave, seemingly waiting for Goblin Slayer to be done.

He then cast a look at Conan's own weapon. "That sword, it won't be good for this mission," he said pointing at the blade strapped to Conan's hip.

That caught Conan's attention and he looked at Goblin Slayer with a confused expression. "What do you mean? What's wrong with my sword?"

"It's too big to fight in a cave," said Goblin Slayer. "I should have bought you a shorter one."

Conan chuckled at that. "Look, I'm not an amateur. My sword will work sufficiently as long as I don't overswing. And if I can't swing then I'll use it for thrusting," Conan explained. He then thought about why that was brought up. "And why would you think that, anyway? Did you use a longer sword once and broke it while swinging in a cave?"

"Hmm, yeah, something like that," Goblins Slayer said.

"Then you just weren't careful enough. You shouldn't have given up just because of a rookie mistake. Short swords can be effective but the longer ones give you reach, something good for keeping the enemy away from you and reducing their chances of being hit by a significant amount," lectured Conan. "And don't worry about me. My sword will do just fine."

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before replying. "Alright."

"So, tell me, what can I expect from this?" asked Conan.

"Goblins are very fond of sneak attacks due to their small stature, and usually come in larger groups," Goblin Slayer stated, though that was something Conan already knew. "They may lack intelligence but that doesn't mean they are dumb. They can be tricky. You have to make sure they are dead, otherwise one can pretend to be and sneak attack you, and they use poison on their weaponry. Furthermore, there are more species of goblins," Goblin Slayer continued with Conan listening, the last part especially catching his attention. "Hobgoblins are a special breed of goblins which are larger and stronger than a regular goblin. There are also shamans who are capable of wielding magic, those can be especially dangerous."

"I see," said Conan before looking back into the cave. "And what of those can we expect in there?"

"Any of them. Maybe even all three at once," said Goblin Slayer. "Then there are also Goblin Champions. They are an incredibly strong kind of goblin and quite difficult to kill, and they usually carry big weapons with them. Though, they are not as likely to be here."

Conan was actually intrigued by this information. Not to mention that the usually quiet as a rock Goblin Slayer now became pretty chatty when it came to goblins. It appeared that he was really that deep into goblin slaying. No wonder he was ignorant about their previous conversation.

Conan gave a grin "Alright then," he said as he unsheathed his sword. "Let's not waste any more time and clean this cave of vermin."

Goblin Slayer lit up the torch and they walked into the cave. The cave was quiet, their steps echoed throughout its interior as they moved forward, with the torch's light illuminating their way.

They walked for a minute before Goblin Slayer came to a sudden stop. He pulled out his sword and made a sharp turn but then he heard a goblin's scream and steel piercing flesh. When he turned he saw Conan holding his sword which was stabbing through a goblin.

Conan sharply took out his sword and flicked the blood off it. He turned to Goblin Slayer "I've noticed that portion of the cave," he said as he walked to what seemingly seemed like a normal cave wall until he reached for a shadow where his fingers moved through the shadow and wrapping around what seemed to be an edge. "I know that darkness obscures this pathway and make it seem like a regular shadow, I have been in caves before. Don't worry; it'll take a lot more than that to catch me off guard."

Goblin Slayer was honestly impressed. This man was pretty knowledgeable, more so than he thought.

"Well, that makes one," said Goblin Slayer making Conan look at him in confusion. Goblin Slayer then walked toward the other path and lit it with a torch, finding nothing else. "That's strange."

"What's strange?" asked Conan, looking at the path as well to see if Goblin Slayer found something.

"There are usually more in hiding. There was just one."

Conan's eyes narrowed at that. If that was the case then, what were those goblins planning exactly? Suddenly, Conan's ears detected movement. "Looks like the others are arriving behind us," he said as he turned towards the sounds.

"How can you tell?" asked Goblin Slayer.

"I can hear them," answered Conan. He then sniffed and slightly winced. "Smell them too. Looks like they didn't really develop bathing yet."

Goblin Slayer readied his short sword, ready to fight. Into the light came three goblins, which immediately started attacking the two.

Goblin Slayer didn't give them a chance to strike as he dashed towards one and stabbed him through the head. "Two."

Conan then moved quickly as well, slashing at one's neck and cleaving the head off. "Three," Conan said with a smirk, caught up on Goblin Slayer's game.

The last goblin came to a sudden stop as he watched the two adventurers easily dispatch two of his brothers. His shock didn't last long as a strong boot kicked him at the side of the head, throwing him towards Goblin Slayer who stuck his sword into the creature's head.

"Four," said Goblin Slayer as he took out his sword from the dead goblin.

"Quite the welcoming committee, aren't they?" quipped Conan, but getting no reaction from Goblin Slayer. Figures.

"Let's use the blood to hide our scent," said Goblin Slayer to which Conan nodded. As both of them finished rubbing some of the blood on them, they continued walking into the cave. Conan wasn't unfamiliar with the methods of hiding your scent, he even utilized many of them himself, so he wasn't repulsed by the blood.

Despite walking for at least a minute there were no goblins near, something which didn't sit right with Goblin Slayer. "We should have run into some goblins by now."

"Perhaps those little devils grew some brains and learned to get out of our way," said Conan.

"No, goblins aren't like that. With the number of goblins we were given there should have at least been one more attack."

From that point, both of the men were cautious, readying themselves even more for a sneak attack.

However, after a few moments of walking, they noticed that the ceiling was getting higher. And the width of the path was getting wider. Soon they found themselves in a pretty spacious area of the cave. There was also a beam of light coming from a hole on the upper part of the cave, giving better illumination.

And thanks to that illumination, four goblins were revealed, pointing their weapons at them. Conan and Goblin Slayer wasted no time in attacking. Conan cleaved two of them in half in with a single swing of his blade, the wider space giving him much more movement for long swings, and Goblin Slayer quickly brought down his sword into one's head and punching the last one that tried to attack him. It wasn't long before the last one had a blade stuck in his neck.

"And that's eight," said Goblin Slayer as he left the dead goblin.

The two of them looked around to see if there were any more goblins. And to their surprise, they found none. Goblin Slayer then saw a wooden crate blocking something. He guessed that's where the rest of the goblins were and where they were keeping the women they kidnapped.

He moved slowly towards the crate with a torch in hand. As he neared he crouched and reached for it. Then he swiftly moved the crate aside and prepared himself for a surprise attack, but was surprised that behind that crate he found… nothing. The hiding place wasn't spacious, only seemingly being able to hold four people at most, but there was nothing there. He saw some blood on the floor, which he assumed were from the women they were violating, but that was it. Nothing else was there.

"This isn't right," said Goblin Slayer with an edge in his voice.

"Were you able to find something?" asked Conan as he approached his companion.

"How many goblins did they said there were?" asked Goblin Slayer.

"Around twenty," answered Conan, remembering the details that were specified in the contract. "With three women kidnapped as well."

"And we only killed eight. Not to mention the women they kidnapped also aren't here."

"Could they have moved already?"

"No, goblins don't leave so quickly after nesting in a single place. This makes no sense."

Conan was about to say something, but his senses picked up something that was quickly approaching them. "Move!" he yelled as he grabbed Goblin Slayer by the arm, catching him off guard and yanking him away from a vicious claw swipe.

The both of them quickly backed away from the creature that attacked. When they got a good look at it they were completely shocked. The creature in front of them wasn't a goblin at all. It was a tall, bipedal creature, taller than even Conan, covered completely in black fur and long wild hair that reached below its waist. It had red eyes, mouth with sharp teeth and tusks, and claws on its fingers. And it started growling at them.

Goblin Slayer just looked at the unknown creature, his helmet not giving away his look of shock. Conan, on the other hand, thought that he had seen this creature before. Something about its appearance seemed to make him remember.

"What is that thing?" asked Goblin Slayer, never seeing such creature before, much less in a goblin cave.

Then it came to Conan. "That's a demon," said Conan, remembering the demon he saw when fighting as an army general for princes Yasmela.

"A demon? Seriously?" asked Goblin Slayer, not believing his ears. How did a demon found itself at a mere goblin cave?

The demon then dashed towards them. Both of them reacted by moving at the side, each in a different direction from the other. The demon quickly found itself between them, however, at a sudden burst of speed that caught both men off guard, the creature gave Conan a nasty backhand that hit him straight in the chest and sent him flying. Conan's back crashed into a wall, causing cracks to appear on it and making Conan grunt in pain. If it wasn't for the armor he was wearing he would have ended up with broken bones. The impact made Conan drop his sword on the ground and he followed not too long after.

Goblin Slayer tried to use his opportunity of the demon being focused on Conan and went to strike at the creature, but the creature saw that coming in time and avoided the swipe of the short sword. Goblins Slayer continued swinging at the creature, even trying to incorporate the torch he was holding, but it managed to avoid all of the swipes and thrusts sent its way.

The demon went for a counterattack, avoiding the last swing of the sword before punching at Goblin Slayer's head. The fist made contact with the left side of his head, partly cracking open the helmet with Goblin Slayer's mouth being visible with clenched teeth and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, with Goblin Slayer also being sent back, skidding across the floor.

Meanwhile, Conan was gaining back his bearings. That demon caught him by surprise with the sudden burst of speed and that strike had a lot of force behind it, but he couldn't ponder on it for too long. He looked and saw Goblin Slayer engaged with the demon, and saw him losing. He narrowed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and sprang up with the grace of a tiger and with impressive speed in his own right, picked up his sword and ran towards the black creature.

The demon stopped attacking Goblin Slayer and looked behind, seeing Conan was now close to it, his blade ready for a downward swing. Conan brought down the weapon, the demon tried to move away but the blade still made contact, leaving a slash mark across its chest as blood flew from the wound. It howled in pain, but Conan didn't leave it time to recover as he slashed upwards. The demon tried to move away once again but the cut was still made, this time an even deeper one. The creature once again howled in pain from another cut etched on its chest.

Conan went for another swing, this one meant to finish off the demon as it wouldn't be able to avoid it. He brought the sword down, but to his surprise, instead of trying to dodge, the demon grabbed Conan by the wrist, stopping his attack. The demon then started twisting, breaking the wrist, and making Conan give a low yell of pain and also making him drop the sword, which landed beneath them.

The demon then went to swipe at Conan's head with its claws, but the barbarian quickly moved his head out of the way, though he did get a few scratches on his cheek. Conan responded by using his still good hand to deliver a powerful punch to the demon's jaw, making it spit out drool and blood. Disarmed or not, he was a Cimmerian, he could still fight.

While that was going on, Goblins Slayer recovered and stood up. He saw Conan and the demon locked in a heated battle and wondered about what he should do. If he got too close he would probably get in the way, knowing he wouldn't be able to do as good as Conan was doing. He didn't bring bow and arrows, and he couldn't use his oil to douse the demon and set it on fire with the torch as he risked also setting Conan on fire.

Goblin Slayer then decided. He sheathed his sword, readied the throwing daggers he had and waited for the right moment.

The two combatants were engaged in unarmed combat, Conan not having the time to pick up his sword otherwise risking giving the demon a shot at him. He then avoided an overhead by ducking, seeing an opening, he went for a kick and struck the demon in the abdomen, making it grunt.

Goblin Slayer decided that this was the right moment. He hurled several daggers straight at the demon while it was momentarily stunned. The daggers soon finding themselves plunged into the demon's side causing it to give a scream of pain.

Conan then also capitalized on this, hitting the demon straight in the face, even breaking one of its tusks. However, before he could deliver another blow, in a seeming act of desperation, it started flailing wildly with its arms, actually pushing Conan on the ground.

It then quickly turned to Goblin Slayer and ran at him. Its great speed was making it hard for Goblin Slayer to track. He tried to bring his shield up to block but the demon was too fast and it delivered a devastating punch into Goblin Slayer's chest, the blow caving in his armor and pushing him off the ground for a moment. The blow also causing him to puke a good amount of blood on the ground before he fell on the floor as the demon retracted its fist.

The demon took out the daggers out of his side and threw them on the ground. It went for another strike but felt something move beneath its arms and crawling to the back of its head before tightly squeezing him, rendering him partially immobile. He saw that those things were arms and looked back to see it was Conan who holding onto him.

Conan grunted as the demon started to writhe in his grasp. He couldn't put his broken wrist on the back on his head but he was still doing well in holding the demon in place. Though, it seemed he wouldn't be able to hold it for too long.

Conan looked at Goblin Slayer who was now on all fours with blood running down his exposed mouth. But Conan knew that he needed to bite through the pain if they planned on getting rid of this thing. "Hurry, Goblin Slayer! Kill it, NOW!" Conan exclaimed as he held the demon.

Goblin Slayer looked up and saw Conan restraining the demon while giving a wide open target. Ignoring the pain, he quickly unsheathed his sword, gave out a yell, got up and attacked the restrained demon. He lunged the blade just below the demon's ribcage and struck through its heart. The demon let out a bellowing screech before choking on its own blood. Its writhing became minimal before standing completely still and its head hung low, blood seeping through its open mouth.

Goblin Slayer then grunted and pulled out the sword causing blood to gush from the wound. Conan then let go of the demon, letting its body to fall ungracefully on the ground.

Conan then started panting, the adrenalin wearing off and the fatigue of the fight catching up to him. He looked at the dead demon, still not believing that this could have been of the demons that served under the sorcerer of Kutchemes. He wondered what it was doing here. Did it also wander in this land or did it have demons similar to it?

But that would need answering later. Right now he needed to talk with Goblin Slayer about their situation.

"Well, Goblin Slayer. Looks like we-"

He was interrupted when he heard a clanging sound in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw Goblin Slayer lying face first on the rocky ground.

* * *

**AN: And a cliffhanger. Sorry for doing this but I felt that this would be the best place to end the chapter. Well, we saw someone seemingly gathering allies, Conan's further interactions with the group, Goblin Slayer especially, and how things went south out of nowhere.**

**And keep those reviews coming, they give some good motivation. See you in the next chapter! **


	6. 5 Different Point of View

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's the next chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. I hope you didn't wait too long, I had to do some exams for college and boy can those be a bitch. But anyway, to reviews.**

**Ronmr: Well it's not so much as being prepared, since they were both unprepared for it, as being physically capable of handling the situation. And I'm not sure how many princesses did Conan sleep with exactly. Sorry.**

**Guest: Sorry, but there will be no Red Sonja in this. I'm not really all that familiar with her character.**

**Evowizard25: Thank you. Great to hear you think so.**

**And Conan addressing Goblin Slayer with his women situation will come up though probably not in the way you think. You'll have to wait until the next chapter to see what I mean.**

**It's a bit more complicated than that. While Conan's longsword isn't primarily used for stabbing (even though some of them are designed that way) you can still use it that way. And longswords can be used in a cave, the adventurer from episode 1 was able to kill goblins with his sword, the only problem being he swung the sword too far so longer swords aren't as useless as Goblin Slayer thinks. If you want more elaboration on the topic then watch Shadiversity's youtube video on Goblin Slayer on how realistic he is. It's great.**

**Darius Crawford2: Look, the idea is good, but as I said before, I'm only in my first story on fanfiction. It's too early for me to be taking ideas.**

5 Different Point of View

Conan was sprinting like a madman through the forest to get to the village as quickly as possible, with Goblin Slayer limply hanging over his left shoulder with his good arm holding him. Conan cursed his luck. First, they had to deal with a demon that suddenly appeared on a simple goblin mission and now he had to make sure Goblin Slayer didn't die.

After they killed the demon, Goblin Slayer collapsed which was no doubt from serious injuries and blood loss. The moment Conan saw his condition no time was wasted as he picked him up, slung him over his shoulder and started running out of the cave, descending down the mountain and running into the forest.

Right now, he was running as fast as he could. The village was in sight but he needed to still get to the building where they agreed to meet with the rest of the group. He hoped that he would make it in time. By Crom, he wasn't going to let this man die.

* * *

The said group was now sitting at the table in an inn where they agreed to meet with Conan and Goblin Slayer. They knew those two wouldn't take too long for this mission so they decided to spend some time in the inn and order a few drinks. Dwarf Shaman ordered a good amount of alcoholic drinks, Priest Shaman ordering some nectar of the gods, aka cheese, Priestess ordered some fruit juice and High Elf Archer ordered herself some salad.

Priestess slightly fidgeted in place. "Oh, when are those two coming back?"

Shaman took a swig of his drink. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say they should finish right about now. I think we can expect them very soon."

"Yeah, I hope so, too," Priestess said. She knew Goblin Slayer could handle himself and Conan looked like he could as well, but that didn't mean she shouldn't feel nervous. You never know when something could go wrong.

"Bah, you worry too much. With Orcbolg, their survival is ensured. With his brain and that man's muscles, I'm pretty sure they'll be unstoppable," commented Archer as she took a bite out of her salad.

They then suddenly heard a large crash very near, startling them and everyone else in that in. They immediately looked towards the source and saw that the front door was reduced to chunks of wood and splinters.

What shocked them even more is that through that now destroyed door came Conan with Goblin Slayer slung over his shoulder. He quickly turned his gaze to Priestess making her flinch. "Girl, he needs healing! NOW!"

* * *

Sometime later, Priestess was in a rented inn room where she performed her healing arts on Goblin Slayer. While outside, Conan was sitting at one of the tables, his chainmail removed for the time being and having his hand currently being bandaged and put in a cast by Elf Archer with his cheek already patched up.

"Seriously, did you have to kick down the door?" she said as she slowly applied the bandages on the hand.

"More like obliterate it," muttered Dwarf Shaman as he took a drink from his alcohol.

"I held Goblin Slayer with one arm and the other had a broken wrist. I couldn't exactly knock, now could I?" Conan remarked as he held his hand outstretched so the elf woman can do her work. And from what they told him Goblin Slayer was going to be fine, the healing is just going to take a while. Conan was relieved when he heard that.

Dwarf Shaman laughed. "Nice to see you can find some humor in this situation."

"I have to ask you, sir Conan," said Lizard Priest as Archer wrapped a bandage sling around Conan's neck and tied it so it can hold the arm. "How exactly did it come to this?"

Before Conan could give a response someone else chimed in.

"What is going on here?" asked a short man with brown hair and a mustache as he entered through the ruined door. He was the mayor of the village and the one who sent the request to Adventurer's Guild.

Conan's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man. He quickly got up from his chair making Archer yelp at the sudden movement. He quickly approached the now nervous-looking mayor and grabbed him by the hem of his shirt with his good hand. The man then yelped as Conan picked him up from the ground and made the other three look at him in shock.

"Hey, what are you-?!"

High Elf Archer wanted to berate Conan for such action but got interrupted as Conan growled out "And when exactly were you going to mention that there was a _demon_ with the goblins, you little wretch?!"

"W-wh-what?" the Mayor stuttered out, scared at being held up by this imposing man. "W-what demon? Sir, I-I-I don't a-anything about that!"

Dwarf Shaman then approached. "What are you talking about? What demon?"

Conan then let go of Mayor, making him fall on the ground with a grunt. He could tell the man wasn't lying when he said he didn't know anything. "We didn't encounter just goblins in that cave. A demon appeared after we killed the goblins and he is the reason why Goblin Slayer is in that state."

As if the trio couldn't be more surprised than they already were. Did they hear that right? Conan and Goblin Slayer were attacked by a demon? On a simple goblin mission?

"Wait, what about the women that were kidnapped?" asked High Elf Archer as she remembered the other part of the request, which was taking back the women goblins have taken.

"I'll explain," said Conan getting their attention. "The mission went smoothly in the beginning. We killed several goblins as we passed through the cave, but in the end, things got complicated. There were fewer goblins there from what was described. We only killed eight but found no more than that. After that, we tried to look for the women but they weren't there. We were attacked by that demon not too long after."

Dwarf Shaman then rubbed his head and groaned, but not from a headache induced by alcohol. "By the gods, this mission turned into one hell of a mess. Did absolutely nothing go right?"

Lizard Priest just narrowed his eyes and gained a thoughtful look, as if thinking over what happened while High Elf Archer gained a sad look, thinking about what those women were going through right now.

"This is certainly a big turn of events," said Lizard Priest in a serious tone. "I'll go to that cave to see the demon myself and recover your weapons. After that, I'll go back to the Guild so I can report this situation," Lizard Priest explained before casting a look towards Dwarf Shaman. "Will you come with me? I might need assistance."

"Then you'll get it, my friend," said Shaman, gaining a smile from Lizard Priest.

"Alright then," Lizard Priest then turned to High Elf Archer. "I think you should stay here. In case a similar event happens they'll need someone to protect them."

"Right," said Archer with a nod. She knew that the situation was serious, as if Goblin Slayer's condition wasn't an indicator already.

"Right then. Let's go," said Lizard Priest and went outside the inn with Dwarf Shaman in tow.

The Mayor then went in front of Conan with his hands clasped together. "I-I'm truly sorry for what happened. We had no idea this would happen. We'll make sure you're properly compensated."

Conan just sat back in his chair and groaned, tired from all those things that happened in a very short amount of time. "Just give me some ale."

"R-right," said Mayor as he turned towards the innkeeper. "Give him what he wants. On the house."

Archer sat next to Conan. "Give me some as well. I'll have what he's having," she said getting a nod from the innkeeper. "Boy, Orcblog really has bad luck on his side. This is the second time he got near death."

That particular bit of information got Conan's attention. "What do you mean?" he asked as the two of them got their drinks.

"Well, it happened not too long after we teamed up with Orcbolg. We got a mission of exterminating goblins in the capital from the Sword Maiden. After a while, we encountered a Goblin Champion who dealt a devastating attack on Orcbolg although he was able to kill the Champion in the end. Priestess had to heal him so he wouldn't die, like what she's doing right now," Archer explained as she took a drink. "Boy, this is some good stuff."

"So, Goblin Slayer was close to death before?" asked Conan.

"Yep, though the last one was probably worse," Archer said and drank, her cheeks already getting flushed.

So that's how it is, thought Conan. Goblin Slayer was yet again faced with death and may as well have died if Conan wasn't there.

Conan took a drink and looked out, seeing it was late in the afternoon, not even nighttime, but he needed to get some energy for the next day and he was getting exhausted. He was tired out after fighting that demon and he still needed to run down the mountain and through the forest to get Goblin Slayer back. Even he had his limits.

He took another drink, emptying the tankard before putting it back on the table. "Well, I'm going to rest. Do not drink too much, we still need you as a guard."

High Elf Archer just waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Conan then got up and walked to the upper floor where his room was located. When he got into his room he unwrapped his empty sword sheath and leaned it against the locker. His chainmail armor was put on a chair, the damages, which he didn't notice were there right after the fight, which were caused were still visible. He would need to get it repaired.

He then just sprawled himself on the bed, though still carefully because of the bandaged arm, closed his eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

There were still many questions still lingered in his mind. What has happened today? How did the familiar demon get here? What did its arrival mean? But despite the uneasy thoughts, sleep took over Conan's mind.

* * *

At a faraway location, the tall figure in green robes sat on a stone chair in a room barely illuminated by torches. In his bandaged hand was a crystal ball, which seemed to hold some scenery within it.

Right now, the scenery showed lush green fields and trees, with many goblins walking upon it. Then the scenery changed. This time of some sort of cave with few more goblins in it and even a Goblin Champion. It then changed to another one, this time in some sort of temple-like structure, neatly put tiles and stone pillars decorated the place, some goblins walking around and, a surprising thing to many, even some humans.

"Come on, you imps!" yelled one of the humans as he held some sort of expensive-looking vase. "This temple isn't going to pillage itself!" The goblins growled at the human's behavior but complied.

The scene caused the man to grin, both out of amusement and the efficiency of the situation, behind the darkness that his hood provided, or at least as much as he could, thanks to his almost non-existent lips.

Then the orb suddenly flickered, much to the man's surprise. "What?" he uttered, as he focused on the shift of magical energies in the orb. He focused on the anomaly and the crystal orb gave him the view of the source. But all that the orb showed was black, nothing else. "What is going on? Did somebody kill him?"

The man nearly growled. He expected complications to arrive but not this soon. He was hoping that he would be able to at least make more progress before people started to suspect what was going on, which is why he sent that demon to the goblin cave near that small village, reasoning that no one important would be concerned about that place since it didn't hold any significant value.

But it appeared that fate had other plans. The demon was powerful, more powerful than a silver-ranked adventurer, so whoever killed him must be pretty high in rank, which meant that someone important was going to notice what was going on. This might cause a problem. He may have to halt his plans for now so he wasn't discovered so soon.

He stood up from his chair and walked towards another room. He needed to contact his subjects of the shift in plans. He was only at the start and he wasn't going to let his plans be ruined again.

* * *

Conan woke from his dreamless slumber and groggily opened his eyes. He tried stretching but the pain he felt in his right arm reminded his slightly sleep-clouded mind of his situation.

So he sat up and looked at the window of his room. He saw that it was already past dawn, which meant he slept for quite a while. He then looked at the place where he put his sheath and saw that his sword was once again back in it. He smiled knowing Lizard Priest was the one who brought it back like he said he would.

He got up from the bed and tied his sword back to his hip. He got out of his room and walked downstairs. From what he got, the girl should have healed Goblin Slayer before morning which meant that she should be done right now. He walked to Goblins Slayer's room and opened the door.

He was then greeted with a sight that brought a grin to his face. On the bed lay nearly naked Goblin Slayer, which without armor Conan could see his silver hair and muscular physique, with who he presumed was a completely naked Priestess.

He walked up to them as the girl slowly started waking up. Priestess then sat up, rubbing her tired eyes and holding a blanket to cover herself. She then let out a yawn and slowly after heard heavy footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw a grinning face of Conan. "You couldn't have waited at least until he recovered?"

That caused her to immediately snap out of whatever sleepy trance she was under and gained a look of shock. Looked quickly looked at herself, then at Goblins Slayer and back at Conan, her face as red as a tomato. She then let out a squeal before clutching the covers her naked form. "N-n-no, it… it isn't w-what you think! It w-was just a… r-ritual to help him r-recover!"

Conan just continued grinning. "Well, women did 'rituals' on me to help me recover as well," Conan said suggestively as Priestess' face now radiated red color.

"Hey, how are things here?" came the voice of High Elf Archer who was at the door frame with a smile on her face. "So, the healing ritual is done?" she asked with Priestess responding with a nod. "Great, now all Orcbolg has to do is wake up and we'll be set."

Conan raised an eyebrow. So it was a ritual after all? He mentally sighed, hoping that Goblin Slayer at least got the initiative and took it, but it seems that he was hoping for too much. Well, at least Goblin Slayer was alive.

A while later, Goblin Slayer woke up and got dressed along with the Priestess. As the two walked out of the room Priestess approached Conan, who was sitting at one of the tables.

"Sir Conan, may I do my healing on you?" asked Priestess as she held staff near Conan's damaged arm.

Conan looked at her, normally he would be skeptical to let any sort of magic be performed on him, but from his experiences with this girl, he knew he had nothing to worry about. "Very well. You may?"

Priestess put her hand in front of Conan. "O merciful Earth Mother," she started as her hand started glowing. "please bestow your blessing upon this man and heal his wounds." The glow intensified as Conan was enveloped in a green glow.

Conan felt a sense of calm enter him, something he doesn't feel very often. It felt like he was being embraced in a warm and loving hug. It reminded him of how his mother embraced him when he was a child. It honestly felt incredible.

He then felt some movement in his broken hand, like the bones were mending themselves back together but he felt no pain from it or any sort of discomfort. As he felt the damage on his arm disappear the glow also faded. The girl then drew back her hand and gave a small smile.

Conan then examined his hand. He tired it out by first moving the fingers and then rocking the arm back and forward a bit. No pain at all. He grinned and got his arm out of the cast. He stretched and flexed to further confirm the recovery before unwrapping the bandages around his arm. He then also touched the patch on his cheek before taking it off and feeling no scratches left by that demon.

He then looked at the girl with a genuine smile his face. "Thank you, girl. I honestly wished we had more magicians back where I'm from if recovery is this good."

"Oh, this is nothing special, sir Conan. But thank you for the compliment."

The sound of metal footsteps got their attention and they saw Goblin Slayer standing there, though he didn't have his breastplate since it was ruined by that demon. "We need to talk," he said in his usual tone thought Conan could notice a slight shift in it, showing the seriousness of Goblin Slayer's words.

Conan nodded and gestured towards the empty seat across him which Goblin Slayer took. Priestess was able to feel the tension in the air, especially since she could see the serious expressions on their faces (even though she couldn't see Goblin Slayer's due to his helmet she could tell he had one).

"The situation in that cave was very unusual," started Goblin Slayer. "Not only weren't there even half the goblins mentioned, the women they kidnapped disappeared and there was that strange creature that almost killed us. A creature that has no affiliations with goblins. But you seemed to recognize it. Can you tell me what that was or what business would it have with goblins?"

"Yes, I did recognize the creature. And as I said before, it was a demon. Or to be precise, it looked like one of the demon slaves that served a powerful sorcerer I fought years before. But I don't know much about that demon besides that."

Goblin Slayer put a hand on his armored chin in thought. "Could that wizard have something to do with the demon being there? Could he want something to do with the goblins?"

"Unlikely, considering that I killed the wizard with my own blade. Unless he found a way to come back from the dead."

"I see," said Goblin Slayer, slightly frustrated that he couldn't get a clearer answer. "Is there nothing else you can say about that demon, like what species he is and what kind of behavior they have?"

Conan shook his head. "No, I can't. Where I come from there aren't as many demons and monsters as there are here. We don't really keep chronologies as detailed as you, much less for demons. I honestly can say what the demon was doing there or what he did with those women," he explained.

Priestess stood there as they talked, intrigued with what Conan had to say. The fact that his land didn't have the same amount of monsters and other such creatures honestly sounded great to her.

"I see." Goblin Slayer then let out a silent sigh, thinking he couldn't get more answers from Conan. He was about to get up but Conan's voice stopped him.

"Wait," Conan said. "I need to ask you something."

Goblin Slayer looked at Conan for a moment, wondering what he wanted to ask, but he just shrugged and sat back. "What is it?"

"Why are you so obsessed with killing goblins?" The question was simple yet it caught both Goblin Slayer and Priestess off guard, Priestess especially. Conan was honestly just trying to sate his curiosity about the man's motivation for killing goblins.

"As I said before," Goblin Slayer said. "Goblins are monsters that need to be hunted down and killed."

Conan's gaze turned stern for a moment. "I know there is more to that. Goblins aren't the only monsters in this world that qualify under that category. I'm just wondering why goblins specifically. I assume it's for a personal reason," Conan said as he watched how Goblin Slayer would react. He couldn't see his face but the subtler twitches in Goblin Slayer's arm indicated that anger was rising within him, giving Conan a clearer picture of what was going through Goblin Slayer's head.

Before Goblin Slayer could give his response, Conan interrupted him, knowing that he would try to dodge the question. "Let me guess," Conan continued. "It has something to do with family." Conan thought the guess was logical since family would usually give someone such a drive and Conan knew he that Goblin Slayer didn't have a lover before based on their conversation from yesterday so that wasn't an option.

Goblin Slayer's hand was close to clenching but was noticeably twitching, making Priestess look at him in worry. "Why are you asking this?" Goblin Slayer wondered

"Why are you avoiding my question?" Conan countered.

After a few moments of silence, Goblin Slayer let out an audible sigh. "Alright then. The reason for this is… my sister was murdered and raped by those disgusting things."

Priestess put a hand on her mouth in shock at what she heard while Conan's expression didn't waver.

Goblin Slayer continued. "When I was little, my village was attacked by goblins. My sister tried to protect me by hiding me, but goblins got to her, violated her and raped her. I could see it all happen. From that day I swore that would kill and continue killing those monster until every single one of them is exterminated. No one else really bothers themselves with goblins, thinking they are nothing more than weak monsters and hardly a threat, and when they do they think it's just easy money. But in truth they are one the most if not the vilest things on this world, and it would be a lot better place without them."

Priestess was on the verge of tears after hearing that, but Conan's face remained neutral. But then he gained a grin, then he started chuckling for a few moments before letting out a laugh. That caught both Priestess and Goblin Slayer by surprise, not expecting to gain such a response from him.

Conan's laughter died down. "I see, so that's how it is," he said. "But let me ask you this. What if instead of goblins, humans did that to your sister?"

Priestess gained a shocked look. "S-sir Conan, y-you can't seriously be suggesting-"

"But I am," Conan interrupted her before turning his gaze back to Goblin Slayer. "So, what is your answer? If humans were instead the ones that raped and murdered your sister would you go on to hunt down the humans for the rest of your life?"

Goblin Slayer was silent for a few moments before giving a response. "All of the goblins are monsters that kill, pillage and rape."

"And humans are also the ones who are responsible for such crimes. Believe me, I've travelled to almost every part of the continent I live on and I've seen many pillage entire villages, killing men and children while raping their women. Goblins aren't the any viler than humans can be. And I highly doubt that all of them are considering you just hunt the ones who are doing the crimes."

"B-but, sir Conan-"

Priestess tried to reason with Conan but he interrupted her once again. "Girl, you told me that you are the last survivor of you group. Well, that is one thing that we have in common," Conan said making her stare at him. "I was also a part of a group once. They were good friends and I considered them my brothers in arms. That is, until we were betrayed and cut down, the only survivor being me. It wasn't monsters that killed them but other humans." Conan turned his gaze back to Goblin Slayer. "And you aren't the only one who suffered personal loss. I didn't have a sister but I did have women I loved. One committed suicide after she was kidnapped and forced to marry a man from an enemy tribe while the other was killed by the man she thought loved her, while she was pregnant with his child."

That caused Priestess to cry, all those stories finally caused her dams to burst as tears flew down her cheeks. She couldn't believe how anyone could do those things.

Goblins Slayer sat there with his fists clenched in anger. The things that happened in Conan's tale utterly disgusted him. But he still tried to wrap his head around Conan's words, still not understanding what he was trying to say. "What is the point of all of that?"

"My point is simple. You are wasting your time," Conan answered.

"What?"

"You think that killing goblins will make the world a better place. Trust me, even if you eliminate all of the goblins it won't by much. People who think that evil comes from monsters are naïve at best. You can kill all the monsters you like, you can kill all the demons and demon lords, but evil within people will still exist. As long as someone has a different opinion on something conflict will stir. Unless you plan on killing everyone with rational thought then there won't be peace. As long as people exist so will evil."

There was big silence after Conan's explanation. Conan saw the horrors monsters can unleash but he also saw what horrors humans could unleash as well. He hoped that Goblin Slayer heeded his words and realized that the only thing he did by focusing on a single group of monsters would only end in him wasting his life away.

"Sorry, but that isn't something I can just stop," Goblin Slayer explained. "Goblins still are responsible for crimes committed and humans doing similar things won't make that fact disappear."

Conan sighed, he knew that Goblin Slayer wouldn't be convinced right off the bat but he at least hoped he would be more open to reconsidering his entire life goal.

"Sir Conan," Priestess said causing Conan to look at her. "I know people can be evil, but I assure you there are many good people in the world."

"I hold no illusions to that, girl. Believe me, I don't," Conan said. "But I'm just saying that wasting your life away on a goal that won't surmount to much isn't a good thing."

"Well, looks like the three of you had quite a conversation," said the voice of High Elf Archer as she appeared from behind a pillar.

"I take it you heard everything," said Conan to which Archer nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard. And I must say you have some pessimistic worldview, Conan. You honestly make it sound worse than it is."

Conan shrugged. "I'm just telling it the way I see it."

"Well, regardless of what you think we should start preparing to go back to Adventurer's Guild. You two need to be there in person to give a report on the mission."

"Right," said Conan as he got up. "I'll pick what I have in my room and I'll be ready to go." He then walked away.

"So will I," said High Elf Archer before walking away.

Goblin Slayer and Priestess were left by themselves at the table. Priestess looked at Goblin Slayer in worry. "A-are you alright, Goblin Slayer?"

There was a brief silence. "I'm fine," he said. "You should also prepare to leave. I'll do that shortly."

"Alright then," she said in whispering tone before going to her room, but not before casting one last glance back at Goblin Slayer, who was just sitting at the table.

Goblins Slayer was in deep thought. Was Conan right? Would he really have the same drive he had now if humans killed and raped his sister? Was he really just wasting his time by just focusing on goblins? No one ever said he was on a fool's errand and people that criticized him just said that he was stupid for going after the small fry, not that he was wasting his time.

But he shook his head, he wouldn't focus on that right now. He got up from his chair, having decided that he will speak with Conan on that topic after they did their report and walked to his room.

**AN: Well, that ended on a bit grim note didn't it? There wasn't much action here, just more character development. I wanted to show the different worldviews held by Conan and Goblin Slayer and I hope they came across well. Some of you may find this a bit controversial, and I understand, but from what I got that is how Conan views the world. And I'm sure some would argue that the discussion was too one-sided but Conan has a lot more experience when it comes to such things and has experienced the world a lot more than Goblin Slayer did so, of course, he would have an upper hand in the conversation. Still, that's not the only time they'll talk about that topic.**

**But that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it and see you in the next chapter!**


	7. 6 In the Strange Clutches

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's yet another chapter. Man, I knew the last chapter would get people talking but I'm still impressed with how much. And just to rectify, Conan's words do NOT 100% mirror what I think, I'm just writing what I think is how he would react. And their talking still isn't over but it won't be covered in this chapter, so sorry if you expected it here.**

**Now to reviews.**

**CasualFictionWriter23: I'm very glad you're enjoying this story. And as for your thoughts on their discussion, it still isn't over and they will go over your points. But yeah, with Conan will give a bigger eye-opener to Goblin Slayer and make him change sooner than in the canon.**

**Ronmr: Well, the discussion for it will continue further.**

**Zealot24: I'm not sure about the sacred ground part considering the place Goblin Slayer woke up looked like a regular hotel room, but as for only Sword Maiden being able to it, I explain in this chapter why Priestess could.**

**And yeah, that demon is definitely a more powerful monster.**

**Dracus6: It's not very likely that I'll begin with that story after this one since I have other fics planned.**

**Guest: Yeah, Conan will have quite the influence on Goblin Slayer.**

**Guest(2): Alright, fine, but could you please refrain from using my fic as a promotion for ideas? You can easily put those as a challenge fic. No need to put them in reviews.**

**Evowizard25: Oh, you'll see his reaction right in this chapter. And how he deals with the situation. Though I'm pretty sure you won't be expecting what will happen.**

**And I completely see your points, but as I pointed out before, their conversation isn't over. Their conversation will continue in the later chapters and all your points will be covered.**

**TheJSmooth: Thank you!**

**Dragonslayer92: Oh, you flatter me. But I'm happy you think so.**

* * *

6 In the Strange Clutches

The four companions had a quiet trip to the Guild. Not out of any awkwardness or uncomfortable feeling, but because no one had anything to say. Or they wouldn't say it right now. The silence made the movement of the carriage sound louder than usual.

The group's minds were on different things.

Priestess thought about Conan's story and how unfair the world treated him. In her mind, he was a man who lost all hope in humanity and lived through his life with as much enjoyment he could. She may be naïve to some things but she could see it in the tall man.

High Elf Archer was leaning on the plank at the carriage's side with her hands behind her head and her bow next to her, more wondering about the mission and how it went wrong. So Conan recognized the demon that attacked them but said he should belong to a long-dead wizard. She found it quite peculiar. She also wondered what that demon looked like, regretting a bit she wasn't the one going with Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman, but she knew better.

Goblin Slayer sat there with his arms crossed, still deathly silent. His mind was on what Conan said to him but he tried dismissing it by thinking about their situation. Where did all those goblins go? Where were the women? He didn't notice any signs outside of the cave that they left. However, they did they definitely had help, though he wasn't sure if that demon is purely responsible. It seemed more like a guard than an escort. Though if that was the case then why did it let them kill the remaining goblins? Perhaps it was resting and only noticed them later. It was very possible.

Conan sat next to Goblin Slayer while polishing his sword, with his damaged chainmail armor wrapped up in a bag along with Goblin Slayer's breastplate. He had even forgone his shirt due to the blood on it, leaving his muscular torso exposed to the elements. His own thoughts about the situation mirrored Goblin Slayer's, but he also thought about what Goblin Slayer was thinking. He knew he didn't change his mind immediately, only plant some seeds of doubt, but it was a good start. He hoped that in the end, he will realize the pointlessness of his endeavor.

The silence was broken by High Elf Archer. "So tell me, Conan," she began gaining the said man's attention. "Could tell us more about Cimmeria? You didn't really say more than the basics."

Conan nodded. "Cimmeria is the homeland of my tribe and it has been for many generations. It is also a hill country located in the north, and it contains many wild creatures and hazardous places only few could survive in. And with its location in the north, it can also be very cold during winter times. But my people learned to survive such harsh conditions, making us battle-hardened."

"Do all of your people share your features?" asked Archer referring to his build, bronze skin and jet black hair.

"Most, but not all," he said. He stopped polishing his sword and put the cloth away.

"Do you have any religious beliefs?"

"Aye, that we do," he said while putting his sword back in his sheath. "But probably not in the way you imagine.

Priestess, who was getting intrigued by Conan's telling of their religion, started to ask. "What do you mean by that?"

"We believe that many gods exist. However, we don't worship them. But the only one we do is a warrior god named Crom," he said.

"So, how do you worship him? Do you have any special ceremonies or celebrations?" Priestess asked.

"No, and that's why I said it's probably not how you imagine. We don't pray to him or hold any ceremonies in his honor as you do with your, what is it called, Earth Mother. The only way to worship him is to fight and live. He is a god that gave us the means to defend ourselves, he gave us weapons of war, but he himself doesn't get involved in our lives. If you can live through your life, good for you. If you can't, then too bad."

"He… doesn't sound like a very nice god," said Priestess in a lower tone. "Why do you worship him? Why not any other gods?"

"True, Crom isn't a benevolent god like many others. However, neither is he a chaotic one. The reason we worship him is because we believe he has the best view of this world. It's cruel towards everyone, good and evil, and all you have to do is make sure you get through it all. Simple and true."

"But I'm sure if you start worshiping other gods they would be willing to help you?" Priestess insisted.

"True, I could go and start praying to gods like Mitra, who I'm sure would be a god more to your liking, but from what I've learned, once gods do get involved in your life it usually spells trouble for you."

"That's not true. My dedication to Earth Mother is what gives me the ability to heal others as I did with you. Surely that is a good thing."

"And I appreciate what you did for me in helping me recover. But being a healer also has a downside," said Conan causing her to look confused. "With someone of your abilities, you would be an invaluable asset to whoever you're fighting with. But that also paints a huge target on your back. Enemies usually make sure to get rid of the invaluable assets of people opposing them, making someone like you a prime target."

There was a brief silence before Priestess answered. "Sir Conan, I understand what you're saying. And yes, being a healer of the group will put me at risk," she said before gaining a look of determination. "But that doesn't matter to me. We accepted the role of being priests for our Earth Mother, we were determined to help other people. Sure, it puts us at risk but that is a risk I'm more than willing to take if it means I can save people I care about."

Conan stared at her for a moment with a neutral expression, others not being able to tell what he was thinking. Conan then gave her a smile before reaching with his hand and giving a pat on Priestess' head, making her slightly flinch and blush, not expecting such a gesture. "I like you, girl. That determination and dedication for your team is really something to be proud of. You are not a fighter, but you have a heart of one. Never lose it," he said and put his hand back.

"O-oh, th-thank you," she stammered out, still slightly embarrassed by Conan's action.

High Elf Archer smiled at that. The scene was just too adorable. Someone as tall and as imposing as Conan giving a head pat to someone as small and frail-looking as Priestess. It was just too priceless.

Goblin Slayer also noticed the exchange, indicated by his helmet being tilted in their direction, though he was more analytical about it. Seeing their discussion and reactions, it was clear that Conan isn't exactly opposed to accepting different viewpoints, so he wondered what was about his viewpoint that Conan found so offensive.

"But tell me," Conan began. "What exactly did you use to heal him? It must have been something special if you need to be naked."

Priestess blushed at that, remembering how Conan came into the room she shared with Goblin Slayer. But she composed herself. "Well, while we were at the capital, the Sword Maiden, a former adventurer and an archbishop at The Temple of Law, taught me a minor form of Resurrection spell in case Goblin Slayer found himself in trouble. Luckily, the wounds weren't severe enough to warrant a full power Resurrection so I was able to heal him."

If Conan wasn't impressed yet, he definitely was now. These people actually have such magical power that they are able to heal fatal injuries and that still wasn't their limit. He wished he had more of these people back at home. They would be more than invaluable.

"And why did you sleep naked beside him?"

Priestess blushed at the bluntness of his words. "W-well, the ritual also requires full body contact with a virgin for it to work. It's necessary to our gods."

Conan raised an eyebrow at that. You need a virgin for that magic to work? He never understood why so many gods were obsessed with virgins. It's not like they lay with them.

"I see. That's quite interesting," Conan said.

* * *

The rest of the ride back was relatively calm, though the talk between Conan and Priestess seemed to lighten up the mood for a bit.

They arrived the next day and the carriage dropped them off near the city, letting the four adventurers walk towards the Guild.

When they arrived at the gate, Conan saw someone familiar. It was the guard that greeted him the day he arrived in this city, and he was currently waving at him. Conan grinned and excused himself, saying that he needed to talk to someone.

The three of them didn't ponder too much on that and just left him to do his thing, saying they'll wait until he finishes.

Conan then walked towards the guard and greeted him. "Hello, Guardsman. I see you don't do much else besides standing there."

The Guardsman chuckled at that. "Yeah, it can get pretty boring. Though, I guess my job, in the end, is keeping too much action from happening," he said. He then noticed the tag around Conan's neck. "I see you've become an adventurer, and I guess you just got back from a mission. So, how was it?"

"Well, it was… interesting to say the least," Conan said vaguely, not really in the mood to discuss the entire demon part of the mission. "But that's not important right now. I need to ask you something."

Shortly after, Conan went back to the group who were a bit curious at what he needed from a city guard.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" asked High Elf Archer.

"Nothing special, don't worry about it. I was just asking to find a certain place," Conan explained. "We should go to the Guild. We probably wasted more than enough time."

They nodded and walked away. They found themselves shortly at the entrance of the Guild, but then they noticed someone standing near the entrance. It was a beautiful young woman with short red hair and purple eyes. She was dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with overalls and boots. She looked at them, gained a big smile on her face and ran towards them.

When she arrived she embraced Goblin Slayer in a big hug, causing him to stumble back a bit. "You're alright!" she exclaimed before pulling back and looking up at Goblin Slayer. "I came to the Guild to see what took you so long and they tell me you were fighting demons and gravely injured! Oh, I was so worried." She then once again embraced him in a hug.

Priestess and High Elf Archer saw that scene as adorable, while Conan looked at it incredibly intrigued. Who was this woman? She must be very close to Goblin Slayer if she could just run up and hug him like that. He honestly thought that Goblin Slayer would at least mention someone like her.

She then let him go of her hug, once again with a smile on her face. She then turned and looked at Conan, seemingly only noticing him now. The woman then walked towards Conan. "I heard that someone helped my friend defeat the demon and saved him from certain death. I assume that's you." She then clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. "I thank you very much for making sure he came back."

"My pleasure," said Conan, returning the woman's smile. "Though, you should also be thanking her," he said while gesturing towards Priestess. "If it weren't for her healing arts Goblin Slayer still would have died."

"Of course, I didn't forget," the woman said before turning to Priestess and bowing the same way she did with Conan. "And I thank you once again for saving him."

"N-no need to do that. I was just helping out a friend," said Priestess as the red-headed woman stopped bowing.

"He must be pretty close to you if you were that worried about him," Conan chimed in, wanting to know what exactly did those two have together.

"Why yes, we are. We've been friends since childhood. And he's now living with me and my uncle at our farm," the woman explained with a big smile before slightly widening her eyes. "Oh, how rude. I didn't introduce myself. You can call me, Cow Girl."

Cow Girl extended her hand for a handshake which Conan took. "Conan."

"Wow, sir, you have a good grip," she exclaimed as she felt Conan's big hand give her's a squeeze.

Though Conan's mind went elsewhere. Goblin Slayer lived together with this woman? "Are the two you related?" Conan asked.

"Oh? Oh, no we're not. We're just good friends and he lives with us."

Conan raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

The girl nodded. "Yep."

And now Conan knew that something was wrong with Goblin Slayer. He was living with this incredibly attractive woman, so attractive she put many women he knew to shame, yet she insisted there is nothing between them? And from the way she spoke she was genuine about it. And from what he got Goblin Slayer would have been living with them for years by now. Was he really that dedicated to his cause that he decided to go celibate or was he just that dense? Though with the interactions he had Conan decided on dense.

But Conan's keen eye also noticed something else, a slight shift in her tone and her expression wavering for a moment to what appeared to be… disappointment? He guessed she wasn't really all that thrilled about that fact either. That would make her the second woman who had feelings for Goblin Slayer. He honestly felt sorry for them. But he was sure he could help in that regard.

"We should go in and give our report. This matter is very serious," said Goblin Slayer gaining all of their attention.

Conan shrugged. "Fine."

They opened the door and were greeted by the sight of Guild Girl. When she noticed them she positively beamed with joy and waved them to come over, which they did.

"Oh, it's so good to see you're OK! The moment I heard what happened I assumed the worst!" Guild Girl pretty much yelled out, while the rest of the group were struck with a sense of déjà vu. She then looked towards a girl with long brown hair next to her. "Can you get the manager? Tell him that Goblin Slayer and sir Conan have returned to report on their mission?"

That girl looked at Guild Girl with a smile on her face. "Sure, I'll do that," she said before walking away.

"Tell me, are you alright. You aren't injured still, are you?" Guild Girl asked with a slightly concerned expression.

"I assure you, we're fine," Conan answered.

"Just fine," said Goblin Slayer in his usual way.

That gave Guild Girl her smile back. "Good to know. I prayed for your safe return."

Conan then began to notice her reactions. While she was concerned for both of them her face gave more expression when she looked at Goblin Slayer, showing she cared more about his well-being. Does that mean she is also one of the women interested in the silent warrior? Conan was honestly surprised to see that he had this many women who would like to be his lovers yet Goblin Slayer noticed nothing. It was honestly beginning to be kind of obnoxious.

"Ah, I see that you two have arrived," said an elderly voice causing the group to look towards its source. They saw a middle-aged man who now stood behind the reception desk. He had long green hair and a thin mustache. "I must say I never stumbled upon a case like yours. A demon attacking you in a goblin cave. I'm honestly surprised you two are alive."

Conan chuckled a bit. "Wouldn't be the first time someone thought I was going to die. Believe me, I may be new here but I have a lot of battle experience."

"Well, from what we got from Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman it would certainly seem so. However, I would still like to hear a full report from you," said the manager.

The two then began to explain all that happened. How Conan and Goblin Slayer got into the cave, how the numbers they got for the mission seemed false, the demon's attempted ambush and how the two eventually beat it but not without the demon dealing some heavy damage.

The manager then rubbed his chin in thought. "I see. That is very strange indeed. We might need to send more people to investigate where those women were taken," he said in a serious tone. "But there is one thing about this situation that is clear." He then looked at Conan. "You have handled yourself pretty well against that demon. You definitely aren't Porcelain rank. I think you deserve a promotion." That statement made Conan grin. The man then turned to Goblin Slayer. "As a Silver ranked adventurer, I would like to hear your assessment of his capabilities."

"Well, he is definitely more physically capable than I am, being actually able to keep up with the demon. I got the hits I did because he gave me openings. He is also pretty intelligent and well aware of his surroundings. And he is very skilled with the blade he has," Goblin Slayer explained, having remembered what happened. How Conan gave him a lecture, how he was aware of the fake shadow and how he could tell the demon was sneaking up behind them. Goblin Slayer honestly thought that he wouldn't be able to have seen the demon in before it tore him to shreds at that moment.

The manager nodded. "I see. Then there is no point in delaying it anymore," he said as he reached for a drawer. He then once again looked at Conan. "Normally such a promotion would be unheard of, but your case is very special and you more than deserve this." He then pulled out a silver tag. "Congratulations on becoming a new silver ranked adventurer."

That caused everyone to stare at him in shock, though that wasn't really a case for Goblin Slayer who knew better. They didn't doubt his abilities, but someone achieving silver rank after only his first mission? That would still cause some shock to pretty much everyone.

"Congratulations, sir Conan!" exclaimed Guild Girl, impressed at the quickness of the promotion.

High Elf Archer gave Conan a pat on the shoulder. "Way to go, big guy!"

Conan just smiled. He unwrapped the Porcelain tag he had around his neck and gave it to the manager, then he took the Silver tag and wrapped that one around his neck. If he was honest, he was also very surprised that he rose in the ranks so quickly, but he definitely isn't going to complain.

"And one more thing," the manager said getting their attention back to him. "Since the difficulty of the mission drastically increased, it is only proper for you two to be properly compensated." He then took out two bags which rustled metallically when he put them on the table. "This is your payment for your services."

The two of them picked up their bags, untied the top and saw that they were filled with gold coins. Goblin Slayer's eyes slightly widened, not often getting paid that much, while Conan gave a splitting grin.

"Well then, it seems there is one more thing to do after this," said Conan.

"What's that?" Archer asked.

"Why, celebrate, of course!" Conan exclaimed. He then looked at Goblin Slayer. "And you are coming with me."

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Goblin Slayer asked in a confused tone.

"Simple, both of us killed that demon and completed the mission. I'm sure that's enough reason to celebrate. And with all this coin we can easily spend some of it however we wish," Conan explained.

"Sorry, but no," said Goblin Slayer.

"Hmm?"

High Elf Archer rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'll use this money to repair my equipment and buy more materials to fight goblins."

Conan was on the verge of facepalming, but just got a somewhat annoyed look on his face. Though he honestly shouldn't be surprised that would be the reason. He really needed more time to get through that thick skull of his.

"Sorry about that. Unfortunately, that's just how he behaves," Cow Girl said apologetically, knowing full well how Goblin Slayer tended to act.

"Well, if you excuse me, I'm going to the weapons shop," said Goblin Slayer and turned around to walk to the door.

But then he came to a sudden stop when a hand grabbed his shoulder in a tight grip. "Oh, you're not getting away so easily," he heard Conan's voice from behind him.

Conan didn't really want to do this but he had a feeling that convincing Goblin Slayer normally was out of the question. "You owe me."

Goblin Slayer the turned around. "What?"

"As I said, you owe me. If we took the mission separately like we planned, I would probably be able to survive. You, however, would have surely died, so my presence there was a huge help to you. Not to mention that I had to run back all the way back to the village to make sure you don't die," Conan explained as he let go of the man's shoulder. "And this is the way you can repay me. You meet me here later today at dusk and the two of us will go celebrate in a place of my choosing." Conan would usually use such favor for something else, but he felt that this just might be the right way with what he had planned.

"Why are you so adamant about this?" asked Goblin Slayer.

Conan gave him a grin. "You'll see," he said vaguely.

"Do you want any of us to come?" asked High Elf Archer. Honestly, she would prefer a situation where Orcbolg just accepted but she had to admit, this was effective.

"I think it's better that you don't. I planned for this to be a private matter," Conan said.

Goblin Slayer stood for a few moments in thought. He honestly didn't think this would be a way Conan would want to repay a favor. But he wasn't there to question it. "Fine then."

"And don't even think about bringing your armor," Conan quickly added.

"But what if-"

Goblin Slayer was interrupted by Conan. "If you plan on saying goblins, then forget it. I'm sooner to attack you here than any goblin."

Goblin Slayer gave out a grumble. "Fine. Can I now go to repair my equipment?"

"By all means," Conan said. He then extended the bag he was holding. "Can you also get my armor repaired while you're on the way?" He then took out a single gold coin. "I think this should cover it."

"Fine." Goblin Slayer took the bag and the gold coin and walked out of the building.

"Sir Conan," Priestess' voice called out making Conan turn to her. "Why are you so insistent about this?"

"Because he is wasting his time thinking so much about goblins. It's honestly very annoying and I hope to show him that there are more things to this world than goblins." He then gave her a smile. "Besides, when we're done, I'm sure you'll benefit from this as well," he said as he gave her a wink.

"W-w-what?" she stuttered out in embarrassment at what Conan was implying. "What a-are you talking about?"

Cow Girl moved next to Priestess. "Yeah, what are you talking about?" she asked not sure if she liked what was discussed. Was he setting the girl up with her friend and secret crush?

Conan chuckled at the woman's protectiveness. This just proved she liked Goblin Slayer more than a friend. "Don't worry, you'll get what you want as well."

Now that caused Cow Girl to blush in embarrassment as well. Then Conan looked at Guild Girl's reaction and saw what he expected. There was a look of confusion, some concern and slight jealousy in it.

"Now hold it there, mister!" exclaimed High Elf Archer with a narrowed gaze directed towards Conan. "Just what exactly do you plan to do?!"

Conan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What? Are you fond of him as well?"

That caused the elf to also heat up in the cheek area and her eyes to widen. "Wha… I…. well… it…," she stuttered before shaking her head and pointing her finger at Conan. "You shouldn't just assume things like that!"

So, Conan thought, she is another one. Goblin Slayer will sure have his hands full. And Conan was sure to exploit it. He grinned at the thought of Goblin Slayer and four women fighting for his attention, the man will surely be out of his element then.

Conan then gave them a shrug. "Whatever you say." He then turned towards the door. "I'm going out. There is something I need to check up on."

Later at dusk, Goblin Slayer came towards the Guild, wearing no armor as Conan requested. Revealing his handsome face complete with white hair and scarlet eyes. He was dressed in a white shirt with long blue sleeves, black pants tied by a belt and boots.

He then spotted Conan, who was dressed the same way he was when they arrived back, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. Conan then looked at him and grinned.

"So you've arrived after all. I was afraid you wouldn't and the next day say you were afraid of goblins catching you by surprise," jested Conan but didn't get any reaction from Goblin Slayer except for a small grunt. "But let's not waste any more time. Come with me." He then walked away motioning for the silver-haired man to follow

Goblin Slayer nodded and walked up to Conan until they were walking side by side. They walked for a while, passing by many people down the road who were also just walking or buying something at the market. After a while, Goblin Slayer broke the silence.

"Conan, tell me," he began, gaining Conan's attention. "When we talked back at the inn, you told me about how my cause is worthless, and that I-"

Conan put his hand up, signaling Goblin Slayer to stop. "We'll talk about that another time. Right now, we are just going to a celebration of our victory. No need to start getting philosophical right now."

"Hmm, fine," Goblin Slayer answered, reminding Conan about Dwarf Shaman's comment about his seeming lacking in vocabulary unless he talked about goblins. Conan was sure he could make a drinking game of Goblin Slayer's repetition of words.

After a few more minutes of walking, they found themselves in a more isolated part of the city, without many people walking around here. Conan stopped in front of a building, making Goblin Slayer stop as well. The building was two stories tall but it was pretty wide, wider than the Adventurer's Guild. The windows were closed though Goblin Slayer could see some openings in them for air.

Conan walked towards the entrance and walked inside with Goblin Slayer following him. When the door opened he could the sounds of men talking, some loud laughter and what he thought was a woman giggling, not noticing the grin Conan had on his face. When they walked inside the place seemed like a regular tavern, filled with many people, mostly men, who drank and talked to each other, many of them being drunk, except for one major difference.

There were many women in that tavern, dressed in silks and all kinds of garb that was really revealing. Goblin Slayer could see them serving drinks, sitting with other men who wrapped their arms around them and he even saw several of them dancing on tables with several men watching.

"Come in, don't get shy now," Conan said in a jesting manner, snapping Goblin Slayer out of his thoughts. He then grabbed Goblin Slayer by the shoulder and slightly pushed him inside.

"Why did you bring me here?" asked Goblin Slayer still oblivious to what Conan's reason was for bringing him to this place.

"So you can enjoy some pleasures that this life brings. And so you could get your mind out of the goblin gutter for once," Conan explained. "Now come, let's get to our table."

Conan started walking away and Goblin Slayer, with slight hesitation, followed him. They got in one of the corners of the tavern and sat at the table there.

Soon, a black haired woman came with a seductive smile on her face, wearing what many would consider undergarments but were decorated with some jewels. She bent over to look at them and gave them a good view of her full chest. "So, what can I do for the two handsome gentlemen?" she asked in a tone that matched her smile.

"I already have something reserved. Look under the name 'Conan'," Conan said.

The woman then nodded. "Why of course. I'll be right back," the woman said before walking away, but not without swaying her hips for a bit.

"I hardly see the point of this," said Goblin Slayer.

Conan gave him a chuckle. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Trust me," said Conan in a mischievous tone that had Goblin Slayer slightly worried, though he didn't know why.

After a minute, two women came to their table, one a with brown hair and one blonde, both really beautiful and dressed in silks that revealed a good amount of their voluptuous bodies. Each one was holding a tray that had two tankards on them. "Here you go," they both said at the same time while putting one tray for each on the table.

Then, to Goblin Slayer's surprises, they walked around the table and the blonde one approached him, before taking a seat on his lap, making him fidget a little, and then wrapping her hands around his neck before leaning her head on his shoulder. He looked beside him and saw that the other one was doing the same to Conan who also held one of the tankards.

Conan then turned to him. "Come on, Goblin Slayer, take a drink. I ordered this special ale just for this occasion." He then looked at the blonde woman. "And be a bit patient with him, he is new to this experience."

"Oh my," the woman said while putting one of her hands to her mouth and smiling at Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer was caught completely off guard, not sure what to do exactly, he was honestly starting to sweat. He was nervous before but this was something else. What was Conan hoping to accomplish with this? He once again looked at Conan to see what he was doing and saw him holding the woman by the waist while taking a drink from his ale.

Goblin Slayer, without any other options on what to do, also put his hand around the waist of the woman that was on his lap, feeling her soft flesh on his palm. The sensation was strange to him, which he didn't get since he touched a woman before, yet in this situation, it felt different.

He then reached for the tankard, looking at the liquid in it for a moment, since he never actually drank alcohol before, before finally decided on taking a drink. The moment the ale went down his throat he reeled back a bit from the taste, causing the woman he was holding to giggle.

"Don't worry," Conan said. "It'll get better soon. Trust me, I would know."

Goblin Slayer grunted slightly, still wondering why he was doing this. All this drink does is dull the senses, why do people enjoy it? But he remembered he was doing this as a favor to Conan for saving his life so he might as well repay it. He then went for another drink, though a longer one this time. The taste was still strange but he endured.

Unknown to him, Conan gave a gesture to the blonde woman, which caused her to smirk. The woman then put her lips on Goblin Slayer's neck, just as he finished taking a drink, and gave him a kiss, making Goblin Slayer gasp for a moment, his cheeks were adorned with blushes at not being used to such intimate contact.

The woman then retracted her lips from his neck and looked up at him. When he also looked at her she gave him a smirk before starting to slowly rub her body on him. Goblin Slayer, while not really minding the sensation, still felt out of his element. And he started feeling hot, which actually caused him to take another drink of his ale.

Meanwhile, Conan was grinning at what was going on. His plan was already working and he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. People like Goblin Slayer are stubborn but if you push hard enough they begin to crack. He then took another drink of his ale, emptying the tankard, before turning to the brown-haired woman and giving her a kiss, which she returned.

Conan was sure the next day was going to be interesting.

* * *

**AN: Well, things are certainly heating up for those two! XD Not sure how many of you saw things escalating like this but I hope you find it enjoyable. Now, I'm sure many of you are like 'WHAT?! How come you already made Conan silver rank?' Well, let's be honest, he is good enough for that rank and that situation would surely give someone a huge promotion. Plus, Conan isn't a type of character you see slowly rise in ranks, he is a character you already know is really good at what he does so doing that would be pointless. I'm sure you all understand.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	8. 7 Lesson Learned

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here we are with another chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Now to reviews.**

**TheJSmooth: Yeah, that can be quite an experience if you're not ready.**

**Boomburst128: Well, it could also be used as a therapy. Who says a night of enjoyment can't be used to mend some wounds?**

**Ronmr: Well, I'm sure about the platinum rank but he would be pretty high. And yeah, they would.**

**Evowizard25: Well, he probably will, but he is more or less by now used to such a notion.**

**Well normally he probably wouldn't but Conan has a way to make things happen. Believe me, you'll see it in this chapter.**

**Yeah, she probably would. **

**Zealot24: Yeah, who doesn't?**

**Ok, that would be a funny situation.**

**Well, a bit. No, he isn't going to come up with an excuse, he'll say it as it is. **

**You're in luck, that happens in this chapter.**

**Perseus12: I'm glad that you enjoy it.**

**Guest: Well yeah, but we are the ones who know that. The characters, not so much.**

**XD Ok, that name is hilarious!**

**Dracus6: I'm sure they would, but if I do indeed make it I won't do it any time soon.**

* * *

7 Lesson Learned

Goblin Slayer stirred in his sleep, slowly waking up from the long night he had. His eyes slowly fluttered open, though once again shutting for a brief moment due to the sudden contact with sunlight. He also felt a slight headache causing him to wince, he tried to put his hand on his head but found that he couldn't due to some weight on it and a source of warmth.

Though, now that he thought of it, a good portion of his body was enveloped in that warmth. His eyes adjusted to sunlight and he gazed down to see what pinned him down. He saw a mop of blonde hair, though that sight became somewhat familiar as of late. Was it Priestess? No, it wasn't. This hair was curled. Then he gazed further down and saw a sight of a woman, completely naked, a content smile on her face, pressing against his body, which he also noticed was in the same state of undress. When he looked at her face, it wasn't the one he recognized from any of the people he knew.

But then it clicked. He started remembering that last night's event. And this woman was there as well. He remembered her as the one Conan got for him when they visited the place he chose for celebrating. He was about to move his other arm but found out he couldn't move that one either. Though the action was followed by a moan this time. He only then noticed another source of warmth on the other side of his body.

He looked there and, much to his surprise, there was another woman there. Though this one had red hair, not unlike the color of Cow Girl. And she was also naked, with a content smile on her face as well.

Goblin Slayer was honestly bewildered. What was going on? Who was this other woman? What were they doing here?

The question suddenly came to a halt when suddenly he received a flash of memories. He remembered what happened after the blonde woman started advancing on him. He felt hot so he drank some ale. He saw Conan kissing the other woman next to him. The blonde one gave him a pout and asked him why he wasn't doing the same. He tried to act nice and give her the same treatment, despite the

embarrassment he felt, kissing her before she returned it. He swore he could hear Conan congratulating him.

After that he took another drink of the ale, this time noticing the effect it had on him, but the blonde woman asked him to take some more. In the end, he ended up drinking both of the tankards. He then remembered kissing with that woman once again, this time with even more vigor. Then he remembered kissing the red-haired one though the details were still fuzzy. Then he remembered going upstairs with the two clinging to him. He remembered kissing them again, pretty sure he once did both at the same time. Then he remembered them starting to undress him, and he doing the same to them.

Then the memories of unfamiliar sensations came to him as the blurry memories came back. The pleasant tingling sensations, the enveloping warmth, the taste of sweet liquid, feeling of thrashing around and tenseness. He remembered the sounds of moaning and grunts, the creaking of the bed. And in the end, a feeling of satisfaction.

He in the end put together what happened and slightly widened his eyes. He honestly didn't know how to feel about this. This situation isn't what he really wanted to engage in but he remembered how good it felt.

He tried to slid his arms from underneath the two women. He succeeded getting the one from below the redhead but when he got it free he saw the blonde woman's eyes open. She then looked at smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Good morning, handsome," she said.

"Good… morning," said Goblin Slayer, still feeling the effects of last night.

"You know, I felt somewhat insulted when you grabbed her to come with us," she said as she pointed towards the still sleeping woman. "But considering your performance I say it might have been for the best. You were really surprising, you know."

"Uh… I… um…" Goblin Slayer stammered, not really finding the right words for this situation. "I… need to go," he said as he started getting up but the woman pressed herself more to him.

"Oh, why now? Stay a little longer. This feels really comfortable," she said in a pouty tone.

"I… I'm sorry, but I really need to go," he said as he gently nudged her aside, got up and off the bed while watching not to disturb the red-haired woman.

That caused the woman to pout. "Oh, alright," but then she smiled. "But make sure to come back some day. I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves even more."

"Uhh… yeah," Goblin Slayer answered, still a bit flustered as he picked up his clothes that were thrown on the ground.

He then opened the door and saw that his room was only one among many on that floor. He saw the staircase leading down so he immediately went there. As he descended he saw the same place where he and Conan were last night but it was empty. Not really, bothering himself more than needed with that, he went for the front door and got outside.

"Had fun?" Goblin Slayer was caught off guard at the sudden sound of someone's voice and instinctively jumped back and got into a defensive position but dropped it when he is it was only Conan.

The barbarian was leaning on the wall near the door frame, his arms crossed and a smirk adorning his face as he looked at Goblin Slayer. "So your instincts are still sharp. Good. It's unfortunate you're not using them for more."

Goblin Slayer gave a sigh at Conan's constant attitude about goblin slaying. "What exactly happened last night?"

"Well, we were drinking with those lovely ladies as our company. Though, it appeared that those two tankards were a bit too much for you. That's something we need to work on. But it appeared for it to have been enough to have you actually act on your urges and not just fidget in place. Then it was you who was kissing her and I suggested for you take her upstairs in one of the rooms. You didn't object. But you really caught me by surprise when that redhead bumped into you and you suddenly starting to kiss her after a few moments. Luckily I was able to give her some coin so she agreed to go with you," Conan finished explaining and then gave a chuckle. "But I'm honestly not all that surprised."

Goblin Slayer raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's obvious. That other woman reminded you of the woman you lived with, so that is why you took her as well."

Goblin Slayer was about to protest but his memories once again started flashing and remembering bumping into that woman and thinking for a moment that it was actually Cow Girl before giving her a deep kiss.

Conan, seeing the look of realization on Goblin Slayer's face, continued. "Anyway, I was skeptical when you took both of them upstairs, wasn't sure if you could handle of them both," he said before grinning wildly. "But considering the sounds I've heard when I came upstairs were anything but unpleasant I say you've handled yourself quite well." Conan then approached him and gave him a pretty hard tap on the shoulder. "I'm quite proud of you."

"Um… thank you," Goblin Slayer said. His memories slowly returning, remembering the night more clearly than before, actually remembering what exactly he did with those two women. That actually caused him to redden in the face, which Conan noticed.

"Would you like to repeat it some other time? Who knows, you may end up adding another woman there."

That statement actually caused Goblin Slayer's eyes to widen a bit as he imagined another woman being there. "I… well… I'm… not sure about that," he said not certain if this is a thing he should be continuing. It might distract him from his mission.

"Well, considering the women you do have it probably won't be necessary," commented Conan causing Goblin Slayer to look up at him, confusion adorning his face once again.

"What do you mean by that? What women?"

Conan once again resisted the urge to facepalm. "Fine, I'll spell it out for you," he said as he put up his arm with his index finger outstretched. "The woman you're living with." He then put up two more. "The two you're traveling with." He then put up his fourth finger. "And that woman who gives you missions." He then put down his arm as he finished numbering them. "Though the first one surprises me. Considering you live with her and what you're doing, you two should already have brats running around."

Goblin Slayer blinked at that response. Did Conan seriously suggest he should have had children with Cow Girl? "Look, it isn't-"

"That's bollocks and you know it," Conan interrupted. "That redhead you took with you proves otherwise. I'm not buying any other pathetic excuse you have so don't bother."

Goblin Slayer grumbled at Conan's insistence on the matter though he didn't know if he found them annoying or not. Then a hand landed on his shoulder and he saw Conan looking down at him with a more serious expression.

"You should take the initiative. They won't mind," Conan said before a smile returned to his face. "Believe me, you'll thank me later." He then put his hand away. "Say, that armor should have been repaired by now?"

Goblin Slayer thought about it for a moment, remembering what that shopkeeper told him. "What time is it?"

"Mid-morning," Conan answered.

"I see," Goblin Slayer said. "He said he should be finished around noon. So it will be an hour or two."

"Well, in the meantime we could go to the Adventurer's Guild. Let's see what missions are available," Conan suggested.

"Yeah."

The two of them then departed and walked towards the Guild.

Then something came to Goblin Slayer's mind. This was actually a good opportunity for them to speak. It took them at least twenty minutes to reach here from the Adventurer's Guild so they should have plenty of time.

"Conan," Goblin Slayer spoke gaining Conan's attention. "Can you tell me now? Why do you think that my cause is worthless?"

Conan gave a sigh. Though, he honestly should have seen this coming. "Very well," he said as he gained a serious expression. "What I told you was that you're forsaking all the pleasures and good the world offers for something that amounts to next to nothing. Killing goblins isn't really helping if there is something worse out there."

"But the goblins do great damage to people."

"And so do other people. The vast majority of the time it's other people," said Conan. "While goblins do damage to villages in dozens, I've seen humans raze whole cities in thousands."

"But not all humans are evil like goblins are," retorted Goblin Slayer.

Conan just gave a smirk that was absent of any amusement. "Yes, not all humans are evil as goblins are, yet they do far more damage than goblins do. Imagine that." He then turned towards Goblin Slayer with his serious expression returning. "I ask you once again. If it were humans that killed and raped your sister, what would you do then? Would you go and avenge her by killing the men who killed her? Would you go and seek out other men just like them as you do goblins? What does it matter if they aren't all evil? Those that outnumber goblins and killing them would bring more good to humanity."

Goblin Slayer was silent for a few moments. "Yet the threat of the goblins goes unchecked. No one is willing to go after them."

"Yet no one is willing to go after those men either. And I'm pretty sure you were told of other monsters that are worse than goblins."

"So what are you saying?" asked Goblin Slayer with his voice raising up, actually showing his frustration. "That I should stop killing goblins altogether?"

"I never said that. You can kill goblins if you wish. But, by Crom, just don't waste your life on some worthless quest that won't matter in the end. Going about your day constantly thinking about goblins and their extinction. If you do make them go extinct it won't change much. Other monsters will just take their place. And if you kill all the monsters then humans will just fight among themselves."

"And how exactly do you suggest to fix this?"

"I don't. Because it's impossible," Conan said in a grim tone. "As long as there are people with differing opinions there will always be conflict, monsters or no monsters, goblins or no goblins. Trying to change that is pointless. Evil will always be a part of humanity."

Goblin Slayer stayed silent for several moments as if processing what was said. He recalled how others tried to sway him from his quest of goblin slaying, High Elf Archer actually suggesting that he goes on more grand adventures or Priestess wanting him to open up to more people, but Conan sang a different tune. Conan told him that he was wasting his time, that what he did would surmount to nothing. Trying to make something better is impossible and things will be as bad even if goblins were still around.

But Goblin Slayer just couldn't accept that. Despite what Conan said goblins do still kill people and commit many atrocities. He can't just leave that alone.

"Then what do you suggest I do then?"

Conan's features softened. "Lessen your obsession, sate that bloodlust you have with something else. Don't wither away while drowning in goblin blood," he said in a softer tone. "I never said you should stop being a hero. Do it if you like, but do it with your mind in the right place, not some empty ambition."

"I see," Goblin Slayer said while considering what Conan just told him. "And how exactly should I start doing that?"

"Well, last night was a good start. It took your mind off goblins for a while, didn't it?"

"Um, yeah," Goblin Slayer said a bit awkwardly, once again images of last night flashing into his mind.

"Try to get with the women after you, while it will definitely help with bloodlust and stress it will also be a good thing to leave a legacy behind," Conan said with a suggestive smirk making Goblin Slayer blush as suddenly he imagined being with one of them. "And just take on something else. I don't care if it turns out to be a monster rabbit or something like that. It will definitely help."

"Th-thank you. I'll… consider it," Goblin Slayer said. He then remembered something else. "And what exactly did you do last night."

That made Conan grin. "I said I heard you with those two women while going upstairs. Why do you think I went up there in the first place?"

"Uh, right, right." Goblin Slayer mentally berated himself for not coming up with such an obvious conclusion.

"Well look how time flies," Conan exclaimed as he looked to the side. "We're here."

This caused Goblin Slayer to look there as well and see that indeed they have arrived at Adventurer's Guild. The two of them then entered inside, being greeted with the usual smile and wave of Guild Girl, though she didn't pay much attention towards Goblin Slayer, for which Conan assumed was because he wasn't wearing his armor.

Conan then stepped in front and walked towards the desk. "So, any interesting missions?"

She pulled out some papers and put them on the table. "There is a troll terrorizing a village located in the east. Then there is a report of a rock eater in the caves of Smith village. Oh, there is another goblin mission sent by people of Crop village."

"Just one?" Conan asked.

"Yeah, just that one," Guild Girl said.

"I think I'll leave that one to Goblin Slayer. I'm pretty sure we want him to actually get a job done," Conan said in a jokey tone. He could just take the mission and have Goblin Slayer take something else but he decided that Goblin Slayer should be the one to make that decision.

Guild Girl let out an amused giggle. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Hey, you there!" someone suddenly exclaimed as Guild Girl and Conan turned to see who it was.

Conan was actually surprised at the sight. It was a surprisingly tall and muscular woman, not as much as him but still very impressive for a woman, with tanned skin and dark hair. She wore clothes that barely seemed to cover anything other than her private parts, wearing only a bra that revealed the valley of her breasts that was connected to the choker around her neck and some dark undergarments, she also wore armbands on her forearms, fingerless gloves, and boots. She held an ax with a long handle that she also leaned on her shoulder. Conan had to admit, you don't really see a woman like her very often.

"So, you are that Conan guy, aren't ya?" she asked with a grin.

Conan gave a grin of his own. "You know of me?"

"Hard… not to," Conan heard a familiar voice and turned around to see Witch standing there with her usual pipe and seductive smile. "It's not very… often you see… someone rise… from Porcelain… to Silver in… such a short… time."

"You've been the talk of the Guild," the muscular woman exclaimed. Then she gestured towards other adventurers with the Hall who now seemed to stare at Conan. "Pretty much everyone here heard of you. And we were all wondering where you've been after you finished your mission. We wanted to give you some congratulations."

"Oh, I've been celebrating with a friend of mine last night. And quite the celebration it was," Conan said.

Witch gave a look at Goblin Slayer who seemed to be slightly flustered and she got somewhat of an idea of what might have happened.

"Bah, who cares, we're giving you a party anyway," the muscular woman said with a dismissive wave. "I mean who doesn't want an excuse to party even more?"

"Well, I can't argue with that now can I?" he then turned towards Guild Girl. "Looks like I'll do a mission later," Conan said causing Guild Girl to sigh but she gave a nod and put away the papers.

Conan then walked away from the reception desk, but not before gesturing to Goblin Slayer to come as well.

Goblin Slayer sighed, not really sure if he wanted to come, but he still had some time before the armor was finished so he might as well spend it here.

The woman led Conan towards one of the tables but he stopped when he noticed someone sitting at a table near the corner. It was Spearman, sitting there by himself while holding a tankard. He looked at Conan and tried not to scowl, but Conan could see it plainly as day.

"Hey, you there!" Conan called out in a similar manner Spearman did when he first arrived and waved at him to come.

Spearman grumbled and let go of his tankard. He really didn't want to go but Conan already got him quite the attention as he called out considering most of the Guild was now looking at him. He got up and walked up to Conan, still barely hiding his scowl.

"What do you want?" Spearman asked.

"You seem to be under the weather, I was just wondering why that is," Conan said with a smirk knowing full well why.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because a newbie got lucky and suddenly he is the talk of the town," Spearman said in a matter-of-factly way revealing his frustration.

The muscled woman then joined in. "And who are you to talk? We all saw Conan knocking you on your ass that day," she stated.

"I was caught off guard," Spearman said through his teeth, his gaze slightly narrowing. "And believe me, I would have done a better job than you if I were in that situation."

Conan almost chuckled to himself, finding this man's arrogance quite amusing. "Is that so? Then how about this? Why don't you fight me? Right now."

This got the attention of Spearman and everyone else who was in the earshot. "Really? You're challenging me?"

Conan shrugged. "Why not? We were about to fight that day before we were interrupted, we may as well continue where we left off."

That caused Spearman to smirk. "Fine then. I can't wait to show you what I've got," he said as he readied his spear. "Come with me, I'm lead to the training grounds, which I'm certain you don't know where it is." He then turned and walked towards the other side of the hall.

Conan was about to follow when something tapped his arm. He looked down and saw Witch looking up to him. "Try not to… hurt him… too hard… ok?"

"I'll try," he said before leaning down and whisper in her ear. "If you join me at the celebration. I would like to be in your company again."

"Oh my, forward… as always… I see," Witch said. "Don't worry… I'll be there."

Conan stopped leaning and nodded to her before following Spearman again.

* * *

When they arrived outside Conan got a good look at the training area, a large square grassland with several practice puppets at the end with painted targets on their chests, a supply of weapons and several benches.

Spearman walked to the middle of the field, stopped and turned around, facing Conan who also walked up and stood away from Spearman by a small distance.

Dozens of other adventurers gathered around to see the fight, both newer and experienced, as they wanted to see this new adventurer in action. Many were curious to see if his sudden rise in ranks is well-deserved.

Spearman readied his weapon and pointed it at Conan, a smirk never leaving his face. Conan responded by unsheathing his own sword and putting it in front in a guarding stance.

"Shall we?" asked Spearman getting a grin and a nod from Conan.

Spearman immediately dashed at the barbarian and went for a thrust at his legs which Conan was able to deflect by twirling his blade downwards. Conan went for a counter and sliced at Spearman's head, though the latter was able to avoid the strike by moving backward.

After putting some distance between them, Spearman once again went for the offensive, though this time delivering a flurry of stabbing strikes, forcing Conan to deflect them. Conan then used more of his strength to deflect a strike, surprising Spearman and causing him to stumble a bit giving Conan an opportunity to strike once again going for the head and Spearman once again dodging it but not before the tip of the blade slashed him across the cheek.

Spearman swiftly moved backward to put some distance between them. He touched his stinging cheek and saw the blood on hand. He grumbled, seeing that the tall man wasn't just boasting about his skill. He would have to think more strategically.

The adventurers in the audience were impressed. Conan was able to effortlessly keep up with Spearman and quite effectively deflect his attacks. Someone of Conan's size and build usually lacked speed which would come as an advantage to someone like Spearman but that wasn't the case. In fact, Conan appeared to actually be faster.

Spearman once again dashed at Conan, repeating his flurry of thrusting strikes which Conan once again started deflecting. Conan was getting annoyed. This man had some skill with his weapon but he was definitely prone to showing off, otherwise he wouldn't have received that cut on his cheek. And now he once again went for the same attack as before. Sure, it had more ferocity but it was still predictable.

Then, much to Conan's surprise, Spearman stopped with ferocity mid attack which Conan went to block and quickly used the other side of his spear to swipe at Conan's feet which caused him to fall backward on the grassy ground. He then saw Spearman standing over him with his spear ready to strike.

"Gotcha," he exclaimed as he put his down but Conan was able to roll out of the way and quickly got back to his feet.

Conan berated himself. He should have seen that attack coming, but he got cocky thinking Spearman wasn't someone for strategy.

The audience was impressed, more by Spearman this time since they also didn't peg him for a strategy type.

Spearman was honestly frustrated, he thought that his attack would give him a greater window of opportunity but Conan recovered quickly from the shock. He silently cursed, knowing that if he tried something like that again it wouldn't work.

"Hmph, not bad," Conan commented. "It appears that you can use that head of yours. I'm impressed."

Spearman narrowed his eyes at the mocking statement. He then once again went for the offensive, combining a series of swings and thrusts to attack Conan who either avoided or blocked them. Conan even made several counters, causing Spearman to avoid and block as well,

"Come on!" Conan exclaimed as he deflected a swing. "You swing that thing like a flail!"

This made Spearman more frustrated as he increased the intensity of his attacks. Conan then capitalized on the young man's frustration as he blocked a strike and used his sword shove the spear aside catching Spearman off guard. Conan then quickly went for a punch which Spearman didn't see in time before it impacted his face and sending him flying.

Spearman fell on his back with a grunt, his eyes clenched shut. He brought his hand to his nose where he was punched to stop it from bleeding. He was about to get up but felt a huge weight on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw Conan's foot stomping on his chest and a sword pointed at his neck.

Conan gave Spearman a grin as he looked down upon his fallen opponent. "Well, isn't this sight familiar?" Conan asked rhetorically, referring to their first encounter where Spearman lay down with a bleeding nose. "Do you surrender?"

Spearman weighed his options but none of them were good enough. He couldn't move due to Conan's foot on his armored chest and with how close Conan's sword was to his neck he couldn't retaliate in any meaningful way. "I surrender," Spearman growled out, knowing there was nothing else to do.

Conan retracted his foot from Spearman's chest and sheathed back his sword. He would have given Spearman a hand but both were busy with holding his spear and his once again bleeding nose so he got up himself. "You should get that treated," Conan commented.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to mention it," Spearman said in a defeated tone as he walked away to get his nose treated again.

"Well, that was something!" Conan heard someone exclaim as he saw the muscular woman from before approaching him and wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Wasn't it, guys?" she asked the crowd getting many nods and responses in confirmation. She then looked at Conan. "Now that that's over, why don't we get on with this party?"

"Of course," Conan answered. He was honestly liking this place more and more.

* * *

**AN: And that's a wrap! I'm sure you expected a match like that to happen but I'm also certain that you didn't expect for Goblin Slayer to get some action so soon, but I hope I wrote it in a way it makes sense. And here we have yet another discussion between Goblin Slayer and Conan. And just to note once again, what Conan says doesn't reflect on how I think, just what I think is something Conan would say. **

**I hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter!**


	9. 8 A New Light

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here it is, the 9th chapter of the story. I must thank you all for coming this far. Without all your reviews and support I doubt I would have continued this. So I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

**Now to reviews.**

**TheJSmooth: Yeah, it sure does seem like it. XD**

**Guest: Believe me, it won't come to that. Even Spearman can learn a lesson.**

**Guest(2): Yep, he sure did!**

**Ronmr: Good for him, indeed. And you'll get more of them interacting in this chapter so I hope you enjoy.**

**CasualFictionWriter23: Well, I never really had in mind the 'big brother' angle but it sure does fit.**

**Evowizard25: Ok, first, WHOA that's a HUGE review! I honestly only saw those in some bigger stories than this one. I must admit that at first, you had me worried that the chapter wasn't all that good, but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way.**

**Yeah, well, I tried to do something different. With Goblin Slayer being sent to that situation pretty quickly and far earlier than from what I've seen other people do.**

**And I have to apologize that I don't really read the light novels (despite really wanting to) and I got stuck with the anime and the manga so I won't know ahead of time if I do something that might have major changes to the plot of Goblin Slayer. The problem is that the country I live in doesn't have any place to buy light novels and I don't have the money myself to buy them online. And I didn't find any other means of reading them so I have to use the Wiki.**

**And Goblin Slayer could really handle dwarven drinks? I find that kind of odd considering he is so obsessed with safety from goblins so you would assume he doesn't drink much, otherwise, how could he handle dwarven drinks and all I've seen was him sipping some wine. I guess you can say Conan helps him build that resistance.**

**Now, I'm going to go over the arguments, since I agree with a lot of them, but I can point out that you got Conan wrong. He isn't saying 'focus on the bigger fish', it's more on the lines of 'since there is bigger fish your dedication to this is pointless'.**

**Oh, believe me, I'm building up that sorcerer to make him that forgettable.**

**And Spearman is the strongest? Spearman?! Really?! I know he is good, he is silver rank after all, but even without the LN's knowledge isn't the Hero the strongest? She is two whole ranks above Spearman after all. And aren't her two companions and Sword Maiden stronger since they are a rank above him?**

**As for how powerful Conan is, I don't only use the original novels, but comics as well since they continue the story of the original novels (since the creator of Conan died at only 30) and I saw them first. In the novels, Conan is shown to kill men in one hit, move faster than the eye can track and he could throw large boulders around. The comics give more examples such as him collapsing giant pillars, avoiding gunfire, outwrestling and killing giants, dinosaurs, dragons, and fighting more monsters in general. And the humans of that era were far stronger than the present ones, saying children could beat some today's world records and some adults were able to strangle bears with their bare hands or run around while easily carrying several tons. And Conan could kill them with a single punch. After being exhausted, dehydrated and starved. Yep.**

**And thank you for understanding. Glad you enjoyed it.**

**Dracus6: Well you will see them more in the future. Goblin Slayer x Harem is going to happen, and Conan did have a harem in the original story so I could give him some additions from the GS verse.**

* * *

8 A New Light

The temple that previously served as a base for a group of goblins and a tomb for the mighty wizard was under reconstruction as not only goblins, but humans, trolls, orcs, and ape-men were working on it.

And humans are quite easy to manipulate, promise their leaders a hefty amount of gold and you get support from them and people under their command. And if they disobey then show your superiority in power and they succumb quickly. The other creatures, on the other hand, had to be tamed, either by him or using his servants but they eventually also came under his complete command. And there were cases of mind alteration as well, but he tried not to overdo it.

The fact he also had demons under his command helped as well to prove his power and influence.

And now he stood at a place that was previously his tomb, which was now more furnished and guarded by two demons with the wizard being seated at one of the tables. On this table, he had several small saucers with liquids of unnatural color, chemicals in tiny bottles and a bowl of seemingly regular seeds.

He spilled the contents of several different saucers into the bowl and carefully added several drops chemicals, careful to add the right mixture otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. The contents mixed together in the bowl made the seeds glow bright red before subsiding, revealing that the seeds now had a fiery orange color.

The wizard looked satisfied at his work, his prowess in alchemy never failing him. This would be an excellent tool in the future.

"My master, I've returned," said a voice behind him. The wizard turned and was greeted by a kneeling dark-skinned man dressed in a red loincloth tied by a golden scaled girdle and sandals on his feet, with a jewel-hilted sword on his hip.

"Ah, good. Were you able to find it? Did the information hold true?" asked the wizard as he rose from his chair and walked over to the kneeling man.

The man nodded before extending his hand and opening it, revealing a rose red jewel on his palm. The wizard then took the jewel with his bandaged hand and examined it. "So the bandits were correct, this is the Red Gem. I can feel the magic flowing inside it," he then looked back at kneeling man. "I must applaud you, from how it was described, the ruins would be too dangerous for any bandit or thief to cross. It appears that people calling you the greatest thief in the world isn't an exaggeration."

The thief then looked up with a smile on his face. "That is why you ended up bringing me back, isn't it, master? You wouldn't have if you haven't heard of my skill."

"Indeed," the wizard said before putting the gem in his green robes and going back to his table. "Now go back and oversee the work on this temple. I need to continue with my experiment."

The man nodded before rising up and walking back up to the temple.

The wizard was now even more pleased than he was before. This magical gem had just enough mystical energy for him to start his ritual, but he needed several more ingredients before it can begin. But when it happens, this entire continent shall feel his power.

* * *

Back at the Adventurer's Guild, the members still had their celebration in honor of their newest and one of their best recruits, Conan of Cimmeria.

Many sat their own tables, drinking, eating, talking and telling jokes but there were also many seated around the table where Conan was, drinking his ale, and sitting next to him was the muscular woman that welcomed him, or Amazon Warrior as she was called, with Witch also being there and several other adventurers as well.

"…and then, this man comes up to me. He claims that he is the greatest swordsman from Asgard to Stygia. He challenges me to a duel to prove it, and got quite a crowd to watch as well."

"And how did that end up?" asked one of the adventurers.

"Well, I must admit I was surprised. He lasted three swings more than I thought he would," said Conan with a smirk as he took a drink.

"And how many swings were there?"

"Three."

That caused the group around Conan, including Conan himself, to burst out laughing.

"Oh, that poor bastard," said Amazon Warrior through her laughing fit.

"Did you… end up… killing him?" asked Witch.

Conan's laugh died down for him to talk. "No, I didn't, just disarmed him. Though, I was certain he would die of embarrassment considering how many people he got to watch."

That got a few more chuckles out of them as well.

Goblin Slayer sat more on the side but not too far from the group, while also having a tankard of ale that Conan got him. People didn't recognize him without his armor so they thought he was just a comrade Conan picked up. He was honestly surprised that Conan didn't reveal who he was. None of his teammates were here so he didn't really talk with anyone.

He took a drink and found himself more used to the taste, proving Conan's words on it getting better. He watched Conan interact with the other adventurers, telling them stories of some his adventures, like how he took over a pirate band and fighting some strange monstrous humans, infiltrating a tower for some loot only to find some strange elephant man, being picked by a princess to be a general to fight the forces of a powerful wizard, being stranded in a desert before finding himself in a city where there was a mysterious monster lurking in the shadows.

All of the stories were interesting to the adventurers, even to Goblin Slayer. However, the one story that stood out to him, the end mostly, was where Conan was on a search for something called the Teeth of Gwahlur, jewels that could easily make you the richest man in the world, but in the end, he abandoned the opportunity for such riches to save a woman's life. It's something that resonated with Goblin Slayer really well.

"Hey, I have a challenge for ya," exclaimed Amazon Warrior as she got on the opposite side of the table, put her elbow on it and held her hand out. "You beat Spearman, that's all well and good. But how good are you in pure muscle?"

Conan grinned at the arm-wrestling challenge. He then turned to Witch and held out his tankard. "Can you hold this for me?"

She gave him one of her usual smiles. "Why… of course," she said as she took the tankard and, in her seductive fashion, held it in between her breasts.

"Alright then," Conan said as he turned towards the Amazon, held his hand out in a similar position to hers and they clasped them together. The adventurers around them looked anxiously at them, wondering who was going to win.

"Three…" Amazon Warrior said with a smirk.

"Two…" Conan returned the gesture.

"One!" they both said at the same time.

And with that the arm-wrestling started, their muscles flexing, putting much pressure into their arms and pushing down. The Amazon gritted her teeth as she felt the power behind Conan's arms, those steel-like muscles of his obviously not just for show. She was really struggling to keep her hand up.

Conan had to admit, the woman was definitely impressive. She gave an impression of great strength and it certainly shows. Many men he arm-wrestled before couldn't last as much as she did.

Cheers came from the crowd.

"Come on, get him!"

"You can take her! Come on!"

"My money's on Conan!"

"No way, she is going to win!"

"Show this guy what a woman can do!"

"You beat Spearman, you can beat her!"

They continued for about a minute, with the crowd cheering them on. Their arms twitching from side to side, veins bulging from their muscles, signs of perspiration starting to appear, grunts coming out of their mouths as they struggled to overpower each other. To many, it seemed like an even match.

"Well… I must admit," Conan grunted out. "You're doing really well."

"Thanks," Amazon Warrior said through her gritted teeth. "Not too bad yourself."

"However, it's time to end this," Conan said as his face suddenly strained even more, putting more force into his arm.

This caught the Amazon off guard as her arm was suddenly being pushed down. She tried applying more force as well, straining herself so much she had to shut her eyes and sweat began trickling down her head.

"Yeah, get her!"

"No, no, fight back!"

"Ha, ha! Get ready to pay up!"

"Just a little more and she's done for! Come on!"

"You can still beat him! Just try harder!"

Conan then let out a grunt and pushed his arm down. The force was so great that the table beneath them practically exploded and got reduced to chunks of wood. The Amazon was also thrown from her chair causing her to land on the ground.

Silence prevailed the room, as other adventurers who weren't paying attention suddenly got their attention to what happened. Many just stared at the two, before some letting out cheers while others let out sighs at their loss.

The Amazon Warrior started getting up from the floor; she groaned as her other hand went to her now sore one.

"Sorry about that," she heard Conan's voice as she looked up and saw him standing over her. He then grabbed her by the good arm and helped her get up. "I may have overdone it."

Amazon Warrior gave a few stretches with her sore arm, with several joints popping. "Bah, don't worry about it."

"Um, I think we'll need another table," commented one of the adventurers as he gestured towards the remains of the table.

"Forget it, I'll pay for the damages," said Conan.

"Like Hell," said the Amazon. "You won our contest, I'll pay for the darn thing. Plus, you only had a single quest and I've earned more with all the quests I've done so this will hardly make a dent in my money."

Conan gave her a shrug. "Suit yourself," he said before turning to Witch. He held out his hand. "May I have it back?"

The purple-haired woman gave him a chuckle before giving him his tankard back. "Why… of course."

"Say," began Amazon warrior as she put her hand on Conan's shoulder. "How about the two of us go on a quest? I'm sure it'll be fun."

Conan gave it a thought before he suddenly remembered something. He pulled out his sword from his sheath, making those around him wonder what he was doing, and inspected it. He saw that his sword was slightly worn down and chipped in several places. The damage wasn't that great before he fought Spearman so it seemed that some of it came from that fight. The blade honestly shouldn't have been damaged as it was, showing that his sword was nearing its limits from the constant fighting it has been through.

"I'll need to replace the sword first. This one can have just one more good battle before it cracks. Might as well sell it," he said as he sheathed his sword once more. He then looked at the Amazon and gave her a smile. "But I don't see the problem with the request. Sure, I accept."

"Ha, ha! That's the spirit!" exclaimed Amazon Warrior as she tapped Conan on the shoulder several times.

Conan chuckled before turning towards one adventurer. "What time is it?"

That adventurer thought for a moment. "I think it's… past noon."

Conan nodded before turning back to the Amazon. "Here," said while extending the hand that held his drink. "Since you offered to pay for the table, I think I should at least give you this."

The woman grinned before taking the tankard and drinking from it. "You sure know how to make a woman happy."

"So I've been told," Conan said before turning and walking up to Goblin Slayer. "We should get our equipment checked. I think they should be done by now."

"I see."

Goblin Slayer gave him a nod before downing the rest of his drink and getting up from his chair.

"Leaving already?" one adventurer asked.

"We'll return later," Conan answered.

And with that, the two of them walked out of the Guild Hall, with the adventurers watching them leave.

"Well, I cannot wait," Amazon Warrior said before sitting back down and once again drinking from the tankard given to her by Conan.

"If I may… ask," said Witch, gaining the Amazon's attention. "Why the sudden… request that Conan… joins you?"

That caused the muscular woman to look at her with a smirk. "Why? Is someone getting jealous? Again?" she asked with a bit of mocking tone, knowing what her thing was with Spearman and seeing her talk with Conan before.

"Why… I'm just curious. That's all," Witch said, feeling slight irritation but not showing anything.

"Well, I really want to see him on a real battlefield. I'm pretty sure it will be quite a sight," Amazon Warrior answered as she took the last gulp of her drink. "Besides, why not let him hang out with a real woman for once?"

This sentence made Witch stop inhaling her pipe mid-smoke before exhaling. The people around them actually able to feel slight tension in the air for some reason. "And what is… that supposed to… mean?"

"Simple, you couldn't hold a man before. And now, you're on the verge of losing another one," said Amazon Warrior mockingly. Sure, Witch had that time with Conan but that was because Conan came to her. To the Amazon's mind, a real woman needed to be assertive and get the man herself.

"And what makes… you think that… I want Conan?" asked Witch.

"You mean besides the fact that I saw you going out of the Guild with him the first day he arrived. And I saw you coming back with him as well, not mention I can tell what you two did with that glow practically radiating from you," Amazon Warrior explained. "It isn't hard to tell."

"You're just… imagining things. We only-"

"Zip it! Nobody buys that," Amazon Warrior interrupted before turning to the rest of the group. "Does anybody here believe differently?"

The response she got was a lot of murmurings but some negative responses could be heard and some of them did shake their heads. That actually caused Witch to look embarrassed as if she was being caught in the act of hiding something.

"See what did I tell ya?" Amazon Warrior asked with a smirk before getting up from her chair. "Well then, I better get a quest ready. Hey Guild Girl, how about that troll quest?"

Witch just sat there, without her usual seductive smile, and slightly glaring at the muscular woman as she neared the receptionist's desk. That talk of her's was really irritating. But as she thought about it, the Amazon appeared to be right. Spearman was completely infatuated with Guild Girl despite their years of being partners, and while Conan did ask her to be with him, he did seem to better interact with Amazon Warrior than he did with her.

And considering what he told them of his country, how even the women there are fierce warriors who know how to handle a weapon and would leap in the face of danger, the Amazon seemed to be more of his type. Strong, brash, forward, loud, humorous. She knew that rivals were many in the world, but also really hoped that it isn't really the case. It honestly seemed like she was destined to be alone.

* * *

Conan and Goblin Slayer walked out of the Smith's shop, with Conan once again adorned in his chainmail armor and Goblin Slayer in his full body armor. Conan sold his old sword so the Smith could use it for materials and bought himself a new one.

The Smith actually offered him a special two-handed steel broadsword, with the steel in even better quality, which would make it last longer than his previous one. Conan examined the blade, since he could tell the quality of a sword considering all his experience with them, and saw that the Smith was correct and bought the sword. In addition, he also bought himself a steel dagger as a backup weapon.

Goblin Slayer's helmet was fixed, no longer exposing his mouth, and his plate armor was replaced with a brand new one, the Smith saying it would cost more to repair his old one and buying the new one is a cheaper option, so Goblin Slayer took it. He also restocked on throwing knives since that demon from before actually broke half of those he threw, and a new sword.

The two of them then made their way back to the Guild.

"So, how does it feel to be back in armor?" Conan asked.

"Fine. Better protected," Goblin Slayer said causing Conan to give a sigh. He was really a work in progress.

"And why exactly did you buy a new sword? Wasn't your last one retrieved?"

"It wasn't usable. Once it gets covered in blood and fat its functionality is greatly reduced," Goblin Slayer explained, which is something he often did when people asked that question.

Conan gave him a chuckle. "Knowledgeable on many things, yet ignorant in many others," Conan commented. "This is another rookie mistake you make. You do realize you can easily avoid it?"

Goblin Slayer turned to Conan. "And what exactly do I do? If I buy better weapons and I'm killed, then the goblins may use it well." This was yet another response he was pretty used to giving out.

"Not that. Simply wiping the blades with some spare cloth works just as well. But if you think you don't have time for that, then you could prepare beforehand by coating your sword in some oil. That should protect the sword against blood and fat if that's too big of a problem," Conan explained.

Goblin Slayer actually started thinking about it. He never actually thought of using it before, well he thought about using the cloth but it would probably be a distraction and taken advantage of for an ambush. But he didn't really know you can use oil like that.

"I think I understand your problem," Conan said gaining Goblin Slayer's attention once again. "I think you rely way too much on the first experience. Sure it can give you better insight but it isn't always law. That's why you continue to make rookie mistakes, you don't really look into technical terms and mostly rely on experience, which made you think that long swords are useless in a cave or your lack of knowledge in using oil."

"… I see."

"It really shows just how much you still have to learn. See how much your dedication to slaying goblins costs you?"

"That hardly costs me anything."

"It can cost you your life," Conan said with more edge in his voice. "A long sword can keep your enemy away so he doesn't get a shot at delivering a killing blow. That's not a small matter at all. You should really read a book or something when it comes to these topics. Your knowledge of goblins can only get you so far."

"I'll… look into it," was Goblin Slayer's simple response.

"You'd better."

After a few minutes of walking through the busy street, they arrived back at the Guild. Goblin Slayer was about to enter but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at Conan who's features have softened. "Listen, I never said you should stop killing goblins. I understand tragedy, I went through it many times. But don't let revenge consume you to the point where you lose yourself. It stops being revenge and starts being an obsession, which later turns to bloodlust that will turn insatiable. Just going through motions until it leaves you a shadow of a human being and hurts everyone around you."

"So… what you're saying is…"

"You can keep killing goblins if you wish. But keep yourself in check. Never let your desire overwhelm you. I already told how you can avoid it."

"I…" Goblin Slayer paused, many thoughts going through his mind. Conan wasn't discouraging him from killing goblins but just to… tone it down. Would he really lose himself if he continued killing goblins? Goblins are monsters, deserving to be exterminated and that's what he was doing. Even if it seemed like the only thing he was doing.

He also wondered about what he meant by hurting others around him. His mind went to Cow Girl and how she usually reacted when he finished his quests. The smile she gave him assurance in what he was doing. But he could tell she was worried about him. How she would look when he was too injured or when she heard how he almost died. Twice in fact. He understood how it came to be, by running head-first into any goblin slaying mission he could.

Conan helped him understand desire more than before. Is that what it was? That desire he felt when Conan helped him lay with those two women? Was that how she felt? Was he so obsessed with goblins he couldn't see it?

And what of the Priestess? She has been with him for quite a while now. He could see she also somewhat cared for him. Was that how she felt as well?

Or what of Sword Maiden? He is the one who promised her that he would be there for her. He saw how she reacted around him but didn't really pay much attention to it. He was more and more seeing the patterns now.

"I… see," was all he could mutter. And despite those words, Goblin Slayer felt… blind.

"I hope you see more," Conan said before giving him a smile. "But right now, we need to get going. We still need to earn our living, don't we?"

"… Yeah."

And they went inside.

Conan was greeted by the sight of approaching Amazon Warrior with a contract in her hand. "I got us a troll-slaying quest. Wanna come?"

Conan gave her a grin. "Very well."

He gestured to Goblin Slayer to proceed without him to which he nodded. As Conan and Amazon Warrior walked away, he went to the desk to get his goblin mission. He pushed the thoughts that plagued him before in the back of his mind for now, but he would definitely come back to them later. Right now he needed to focus on some goblins.

* * *

Conan and Amazon warrior took a carriage to ride east where the village was located, the trip taking them at least a day and a half. While on the way they talked more about their adventures and such. While on the way, they even stopped in an inn where they drank, ate and talked some more. The Amazon told him more about trolls, basically big ugly creatures, but incredibly strong and durable, really dangerous for an inexperienced adventurer. And they ate humans.

Soon after they arrived and got the details from the village mayor and quickly went to look for the trolls. They found them making a camp in a forest and eating what seemed to be human remains. They didn't give them much time before attacking them, not bothering for an ambush, no sneak tactics, just head on attack.

The trolls were caught off guard as one found himself with an axe stuck in his head while another got a blade between the eyes.

The other trolls retaliated and drew their weapons, which were mostly clubs and stone axes.

"The one who kills the least pays for drinks!" the Amazon exclaimed before going for an attack.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Conan exclaimed as he also went for an attack.

The trolls tried to defend themselves but the two adventurers were too much, avoiding or blocking attacks before striking one of them down.

Amazon Warrior then cut another down. "I hope I don't leave you way behind!"

Conan then chopped the head of another. "Crom's devils, you will! You are the one should watch out for being left behind!"

"Oh, now you've done it!"

They continued killing the trolls before all of them were lying down, either cut through or dismembered and blood flowing out of their wounds.

Conan flicked the blood off his sword. "So, how many do you have?"

"Seven," the woman answered. "And you?"

"Seven," Conan answered. "Huh, I guess no one's buying drinks."

Amazon Warrior then approached him, with her axe slung on her shoulder. "I don't know," she said as she put a hand on her chin. "There is one thing we can both enjoy."

"Oh, and what's that?"

The Amazon suddenly grabbed his chainmail, brought him down and quickly connected her lips to his. Conan was caught by surprise for only a moment before giving into the kiss.

* * *

**AN: And that's it for now. We saw some more of the wizard, some drama is building up and I'm pretty sure I made some of you shippers happy with this ending.**

**Well then, keep those reviews coming! They are a great motivator for me to continue! See you next time!**


	10. 9 Battle in the Night

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Man, this one is the longest one yet. I hope I don't disappoint. **

**Now to reviews.**

**Evowizard25: It's all well and good.**

**Still, I find it a bit odd. I'm considered a pretty tough guy but I got drunk easier than they did, so if you don't have experience it's harder. But I honestly think that's a moot point by now.**

**Ah, so you meant Spearman is the strongest Silver rank. Nice and all but I still think Conan is above him.**

**The reason Conan seems insistent on the longsword is because it's an example Goblin Slayer used, Conan just mentioned it. **

**True, but if the blade lasts longer then it's also a good thing.**

**And yeah, I'm sorry for Witch as well, but relationships like these aren't flawless.**

**Ronmr: Sorry, but not in the middle of the troll camp. They might be badass but even they knew hygiene. **

**Guest: Well, not all of them.**

**Dragonslayer 92: I'm glad you think that.**

**Guest(2): I'm honestly not sure what to do with her. If could incorporate her into a harem somehow I would need a good reason but I don't really ****have one.**

* * *

9 Battle in the Night

Conan and Amazon Warrior came back to the Adventurers Guild on the third day after they finished killing those trolls. They spent the first day at the village inn to celebrate with food and drinks, and at the end in a single bedroom. They took the carriage back the next morning and it once again took them a day and a half to come back.

"Hey," the Amazon called out as the two of them entered the Guild. "Why don't you save us some spots on a table? I'll go check with the Guild Girl about the quest and our pay."

"Don't try to swindle me. I'll count all the coin myself," Conan said in a joking manner, knowing she wouldn't do such a thing since it would be easier to just go herself.

The muscular woman smirked back. "Do you really think I'm that type of a woman?" she asked as she gave him a bump on the shoulder. "Come on, I thought we got to know each other _really_ well during that mission."

"Why of course, how could I make such a mistake?" Conan then gave a mock bow. "I humbly apologize for offending the fair lady."

That caused the Amazon to laugh. "A fair lady? That's a good one!" she exclaimed and continued laughing for a few moments before stopping. "But seriously, you should find us a good spot before it gets too crowded."

"Right, right," he said with a nod and the two of them separated.

Conan walked towards one of the empty tables before his instincts started kicking in. He turned his head and saw a wooden cup flying straight at him. He moved out of the cup's trajectory causing it to just pass him and hit the window, breaking it.

"YOU!" he heard a familiar voice exclaim.

He turned towards its source and saw that it was High Elf Archer, who was now storming over to him, a sharp glare plastered on her face and he could see the heavy blushes adorning her cheeks. This woman was obviously drunk.

She stopped in front him, held up her arm and pointed with her index finger at him. "How dare you show your face here after what you did, you big bastard?!" the Elf yelled out, gaining almost everyone's attention and making Conan raise an eyebrow in confusion.

But before he could ask what's going in on someone else cut in. "Whoa there, Long Ears! Calm down!" Conan heard the voice of Dwarf Shaman as he approached the two, with Lizard Priest accompanying him.

"I'm truly sorry about this, sir Conan. She just had too much to drink," explained Lizard Priest trying to defuse the situation.

"And only after four cups as well," commented Dwarf Shaman. "That's gotta be a record."

High Elf Archer sharply turned to their direction and glared at them. "Shut it, you two! Nobody asked for your opinion!" She then turned back to Conan and once again pointed at him. "You! I know what you did! Orcbolg told us everything and I should just-"

She was interrupted as Conan quickly extended his arm and pushed her on the nose with his index finger. That action caught her by surprise and she backed away stumbling for a few moments. She tried to get back her balance back but the alcohol made her mind foggy, causing her to flail her arms for a bit before falling back and landing on her behind.

"Alright then," said Conan as he pulled back his arm. He then looked at her two teammates. "Can you tell me what she was blabbering about?"

"Well, it's a funny story, actually," Dwarf Shaman said with a smirk.

* * *

_Earlier today Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest, and High Elf Archer were sitting at one of the tables in the Guild Hall. Then they saw Goblin Slayer enter and give his report on the receptionist desk._

_High Elf Archer waved at him. "Hey, Orcbolg! Come over here!"_

_That caused Goblin Slayer to turn in her direction before giving her a nod. He took the pay from Guild Girl and over their table and sat down._

_"What do you need?" he asked._

_"Hey, didn't you and Conan go on a party a few days ago?"_

_This caused the two of her companions to look surprised._

_"What? Beard cutter at a party? Why didn't you tell us earlier, Long Ears?" Shaman asked as he gave the Elf a look of disappointment._

_She shrugged. "You never asked."_

_"I think it's a very nice thing that milord Goblin Slayer went to enjoy himself and made a new friend in sir Conan," commented Lizard Priest._

_"So what exactly were you doing on that party?" High Elf Archer asked as she leaned forward a bit. "Come on, I'm really curious."_

_"Why yes, enlighten us, Beard Cutter. I would like to know as well," said Dwarf Shaman. If Goblin Slayer actually went to a party, then there was certainly an interesting story involved._

_"Well, when he greeted me he told me to follow him, not really telling me where. We down the town streets for about twenty minutes and we arrive at a… bar," he started though that slight pause actually got them more curious._

_"A bar?" High Elf Archer said with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, that doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary."_

_"…Yeah. At the… bar Conan ordered us some drinks and then… um… then he got…" Goblin Slayer stammered._

_That actually caused the group to stare confounded. Goblin Slayer was behaving… unusual to say the least. The way he talked didn't match anything they knew about him._

_"Um, Long Ears," Dwarf Shaman began as he slightly rubbed his ear with his pinky. "You have the best hearing here, so tell me, is it just me, or is he sounding embarrassed?"_

_"Uh… yeah, he is," High Elf Archer said in a quieter tone, also caught off guard by how Goblin Slayer was behaving. "And what did he get exactly?"_

_"Well, he… got us… company," Goblin Slayer was able to mutter out, even he baffled by his behavior. _

_"C-company," stuttered the Elf as her eyes slightly widened, her mind coming to a realization. "That… company, do you mean… prostitutes?" she asked, her mind filled with worry._

_"Um… well… yes," Goblin Slayer answered._

_High Elf Archer sat there, widened eyes and mouth agape, not believing what she heard. Her two companions having similar thought lessened reactions. "I… see," she said with her mouth twitching. "You didn't… do anything with them? Did you?"_

_Even though Goblin Slayer's understanding of a woman's mind was lacking, he could still feel slight nervousness as he heard the elf woman talk. Nevertheless, he continued. "Well I… slept with two of them," he was able to mutter out a bit quicker than usual._

_If the group was shocked before, but now were utterly bewildered._

_"My word," muttered Lizard Priest, not knowing how to respond._

_Dwarf Shaman, on the other hand, was more of a clearer mind, but he took a look at his elf companion and one of her eyes and closed mouth twitching and immediately got worried. "Oh dear, oh dear."_

_"I-I… see," said High Elf Archer said channeling her inner Goblin Slayer, and her face twitching in irritation._

_Goblin Slayer was actually starting to sweat a little under his helmet, for reasons unknown to him. And also for some reason, his instincts told him to get out of there. "I'm… going to check on the farm. There is some business I have to attend to," he said as he got up from his chair and walked away._

* * *

In the present moment, Dwarf Shaman was actually laughing. "And after Beard Cutter left, she got herself some alcohol. Oh, you should have heard her. She said so many curses that I'm sure if her people heard her she would be denounced immediately. I've never even heard of some of them," he said as he continued laughing.

Conan was actually surprised when he heard the story. Really? That was the reason the woman was so mad? Conan didn't understand what was the issue with Goblin Slayer laying with some prostitutes. No women he knew complained to him about that.

High Elf Archer was now sitting on the floor while her arms supported her weight, comical tears running down her face. "You bastard, you've ruined him. And I thought you were such a great guy," Archer said in a whiny tone.

"Crom, woman, get up! Where's your dignity?" Conan said with irritation as he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and forcefully pulled her up.

"Hey, what's going on?" came the voice of Guild Girl as she approached them.

High Elf Archer once again pointed at Conan. "This son of a bitch hooked Orcbolg up with some hookers!" she exclaimed.

"W-wh-what?" stuttered Guild Girl as her eyes widened, completely shocked at the elven woman's words.

Conan groaned. "By Crom, woman, why are you bothered by this?!"

"That's because you can't just-" she was interrupted as Lizard Priest put his hand on her mouth.

"Alright, that's enough out of you," Lizard Priest said before turning to Conan. "I'll escort her away and give her something to sober her up. Sorry if she was any trouble, sir Conan." He then walked away with Archer despite her muffled protests and flailing around.

"Well, I must say," Dwarf Shaman said with a smile. "You certainly know how to make things interesting."

"Damn right," said Amazon Warrior while giving a tap to Conan's shoulder, having heard most of the thing. "Getting Goblin Slayer laid. I never thought the day would come but here we are."

"So, you're back," Conan heard an already familiar voice of Spearman and saw him walking towards him with Witch in tow. "And you already got yourself a partner. You move quick."

The Amazon gave a smirk and wrapped her arm around Conan. "Oh, he got himself more than just a partner."

Spearman was actually shocked to hear this, quickly picking up on what she meant, but recovered quickly and gave a small scoff. "Whatever. I guess big and brutish do attract each other."

Conan shook his head at this man's antics, still obviously upset over what happened and Witch gave an apologizing look at her friend's behavior.

The Amazon just chuckled at that. "Was that supposed to be an insult? What's the matter?" she said as she gave a flex of her arm. "A tougher woman is too much for ya, Mr. Blue Balls?"

Spearman gave an annoyed growl at that. These people really knew how to get on his nerves. In his mind, these two were really made for each other. "Believe me, I'll get the love of my life before you know it."

The Amazon's smirk widened, seeing further opportunity to mess with him. "Hardly, considering Conan here took your only shot," she said as she pointed at her bronze-skinned companion.

That sentence made Spearman freeze in place, both Witch and Guild Girl to look in shock, and Conan just looked at his new lover confused at what she meant.

A vein appeared on Spearman's head, seemingly ready to burst, his expression turning into a deathly glare, making Guild Girl look nervous. "I-I-I th-think I'm… needed at the desk," Guild Girl said quickly and hurried back to her desk, not wanting to be involved in this situation.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Spearman asked just about ready to skewer the large man before him, despite him winning before. All the while, Amazon Warrior watched this situation with amusement.

Conan looked at Witch who stood next to Spearman. "You didn't tell him?"

"Um… no, I... didn't," Witch stammered out, a blush forming on his face.

That actually made Spearman calm down just a small margin, long enough to look at his partner in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

The Witch looked at him and gave a sigh. She may as well tell him. "I'll be blunt. I've spent a… night with Conan."

That actually caused Spearman to widen his eyes but also his sudden burst of rage disappear. "W-w-wait," he said as he turned back at the two. "So you meant, she and him?" he asked gesturing between Witch and Conan. "I thought you meant… What did you mean when you said he took my shot?"

Witch felt shocked that that was his response despite the fact that she knew better. She just admitted that she slept with another man, and Spearman seemingly barely acknowledged that? She was at a loss for words.

"Well, I said you lost your only shot. With Guild Girl you never had one," Amazon Warrior said with an amused smile making Spearman glare at her. "But that's not here nor there. Come on, Conan, let's ditch them and find our table."

The two of them walked away, leaving Witch and Spearman alone. "Damn those two. One day I'll show 'em!"

"You know what?" Witch said, causing Spearman to look at her. She then blew some smoke straight into his face causing him to reel back a bit. "You can be really annoying sometimes." She then turned away and into the direction that Conan and Amazon Warrior went to.

Spearman just stood there shocked. What happened? Why was his partner mad all of a sudden? She never behaved like that before. Then he saw where she was heading and grumbled some more. This Conan really frustrated him, humiliating him twice and now turned his partner against him. He then found himself a table and ordered a drink. He needed something to calm his nerves.

Conan and the Amazon found themselves some seats and soon after they saw that Witch was heading to their table.

"May I… sit?" Witch asked as she stopped in front of them.

Amazon Warrior gave a shrug. "I don't see why not," she said knowing full well what the purple-haired woman wanted.

"That's fine by me," said Conan as he motioned towards an empty seat which she gladly took. "Though, I do wonder about one thing," Conan then looked at Amazon Warrior.

"Sure, ask away," the muscular woman answered.

"What are Blue Balls?" Conan asked causing a sudden vale of awkwardness to spring up around them.

* * *

Some distance away, on a farm where Goblin Slayer resides, is where the said man was currently. He came back soon after leaving the Guild this morning and went on his usual routine of looking for any traces of goblins.

Normally he didn't find any, but that didn't relax him to the possibility. Which turned out to be a good thing in this situation as after a while he was able to find a goblin footprint. He followed it and found more. And more. Until he saw something that actually put terror into his heart. He found many tracks, way more than there should be.

He was looking at the collection of goblin footprints on the dusty ground. And there were many. So many it would take him a while to individually count them. This wasn't good, not good at all.

He quickly turned around and went to the farm. He needed to get Cow Girl and her uncle out. And he needed help. Otherwise, the farm and the rest of the village would be in grave danger.

* * *

Back at the Adventurer's Guild, some time has passed after a bit awkward conversation Witch and Amazon Warrior had with Conan, who turns out wasn't all that familiar with some of their phrases, though he gave a laugh after the explanation. Right now they were at the table, having a meal and talking.

"So then you went to save the boy king with that band of mercenaries?" the Amazon asked as she took a bite of her beef.

"Yes, we needed to disguise ourselves to infiltrate the fortress and get some of our men in. Once we did, we were able to find the king locked up in the dungeon and in the wake of the night we were able to sneak out," Conan said as he took a bite of his own meat and drank. "However, the city guards were able to find us. Luckily, there was a mage I knew in the city and she helped us by creating an illusion of a wall, stopping the guards in their tracks. That got us enough time to escape."

Witch let out a cloud of smoke from her mouth as she listened. "So… a mage… helped you? It seems like… a rare occurrence… for you to… have a mage… as an ally."

Conan shrugged. "Maybe I just have a stroke of bad luck to run into mages and wizards that mostly try to kill me with only a spare few decent ones," he said as he took another bite of his food. "Perhaps in the future, I'll meet more or of those."

"I must admit," began Amazon Warrior. "I never would have pegged you for a type to sneak around. Usually, people like us are more tanks of the group, the ones with brute strength." She added the last part knowing he probably wasn't familiar with that word either.

"Yes, people have commented on that before, that someone of my size and build isn't usually someone to sneak and go in the shadows," he said as a small grin formed on his face. "But trust me, when you start exploring the world and find yourself in the wilds of many countries and situations that could come out of nowhere, you eventually have to learn how to be stealthy. It helped me a lot in my travels."

"Heh, I was more or less always just going headfirst into a fight. It's more of my style than anything else," the Amazon commented.

Then they suddenly heard everyone muttering about something. They looked around and saw that everyone was looking at a single direction. They turned their heads there as well and saw that everyone stared at Goblin Slayer, who was standing there turned towards all of the adventurers in the Guild.

"I need your help," Goblin Slayer said.

That got everyone talking, wondering why he needed help. Was he finally trying to form a party or something?

"There is a horde of goblins that are about to attack the farm," Goblin Slayer said. His voice seemed to be in the usual monotone but Conan could notice the shift it had in it. He cast a look at Witch and their eyes met, showing him that she noticed the same thing.

An adventurer at the next table spoke up. "Of course its goblins. Why can't he-"

"Quiet!" Conan exclaimed, interrupting him.

"This group of goblins is at least a hundred strong, and they are being led by a Goblin Lord," Goblin Slayer explained.

The talking within the Guild became louder, not many of them expecting there to be that many goblins, even Conan was surprised. Some were even wondering what was a Goblin Lord, which Goblin Slayer's ears picked up.

"A Goblin Lord is a leader, who gathers a great number of goblins. You can think of him as a Platinum rank for goblins," Goblin Slayer explained, causing them to murmur once again. "Please, I cannot fight them alone in open." Then, to everyone's surprise, he bowed. "I need your help."

There was a silence for a few moments caused by the shock of the adventurers, even Conan himself. The normally stoic and seemingly uncaring Goblin Slayer was now bowing and begging them for help.

Spearman then stood up from his table. "And just what do you think you're doing?" he asked as he walked over to Goblin Slayer. "You think you can just come and ask for help? We're adventurers, we don't just offer our help for free! You need to give out a quest and reward, so there is something worth it to risk our lives!"

Many of them spoke out, agreeing with Spearman that they wouldn't just take the offer without some sort of reward. Conan huffed, of course, they would act like that. Not many people are willing to risk their wellbeing without some compensation. Then he also heard someone screaming and looked up to see Lizard Priest restrain a very pissed off High Elf Archer, obviously irritated by other adventurers' behavior.

"Then I offer everything I have," Goblin Slayer said, gaining everyone's attention once again. "My weapons, equipment, everything I own, my mind, my time. And even…"

"Your life?" guessed Spearman.

"Yes."

Conan then sat up. "Alright, I've heard enough!" he exclaimed and approached Goblin Slayer. "I don't know about these cowards, but you have my help. My sword is ready to cut down some goblins," Conan said as he gave Goblin Slayer a smile while some of the adventurers protested at being called cowards. He was honestly growing fond of the goblin obsessed man and he certainly wasn't going to let him and that red-haired girl die.

"Pfft, fine! I'm in as well," said Spearman before he turned to Goblin Slayer. "But you are treating me to a drink after this."

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before responding. "Alright, thank you."

"Ah, don't mention it," Spearman said dismissively. Though Conan was honestly surprised that was all Spearman wanted. He expected to have a higher demand than that. Maybe he at least some degree of decency in him.

"I'm with him too!" yelled High Elf Archer as she jumped from the upper floor. She then pointed at Goblin Slayer. "But you are going with me on an adventure!"

"Speaking of drinks, Beard Cutter," said Dwarf Shaman as he descended down the stairs. "You'll give me more than a single drink, but a whole barrel."

Dwarf Shaman was soon followed by Lizard Priest. "And you have my assistance. As for what you'll give me," he said as he got a faraway look in his eyes for a moment. "I'll settle for some cheese!"

The Witch was next to speak. "I'll be… helping as well."

That actually caused Amazon Warrior to look at her. She was surprised when Conan said he would be helping Goblin Slayer and now Witch was going as well? Well, she wasn't going to be left out of this one. "Fine then," the Amazon said as she got up. "I might as well join this party!" That statement caused Witch to look at her and smile.

"Wait!" came the voice of Guild Girl. "The Guild is issuing a quest! One gold coin per each goblin killed!" she exclaimed gaining shocked looks from the adventures.

"One gold per goblin!"

"Wow! I may as well go back to slaying some goblins!"

"That's pretty much easy money!"

"Well, I would miss him saying 'any goblins?' every day."

"They do make some good cheese at the farm."

One of them then started pulling out his sword. "We aren't comrades or friends," he said as he pointed his sword in the air. "But we're all adventurers!" The rest of them followed suit as they brought out their own weapons.

Conan just shook his head in amusement. Of course, once gold gets involved suddenly everyone wants to be a hero. But that's just how it goes. People are far more willing to risk their skin if there is a reward in play.

Soon after, the adventurers took their quest papers and got ready for a battle.

* * *

By the time nightfall came, everyone was already in their positions, with Conan being a part of the front lines, with most of them hidden in the tall grass located near the edge of the village so they would catch the goblins off guard. He had to admit, Goblin Slayer sure knew how to plan for a goblin attack, even for one of this size.

Now they waited, tension filling the air, adventurers focused so hard on the approaching threat that they hardly register the grass that surrounds them. It is bound to come very soon. But they were ready, the scouts, infantry, archers, wizards, and traps were in positions and the weapons were drawn.

The tension lasted for a while, silence prevailing with occasional passing of the wind and the rustling of grass.

All of it was broken soon. The scouts reported the approaching goblins. It has begun.

"They have meat shields!" came an exclamation, with Conan and others on the front line getting just about ready to jump.

The cackling of goblins could be heard as they believed they had the advantage but was suddenly stopped as they began collapsing on the ground along with the women they tied to wooden planks to serve as shields, Witch and Dwarf Shaman using their magic to put the goblins to sleep,

"Hurry, grab the women but ignore the goblins!" the order was given causing the men to quickly spring into action. They ran over to the asleep goblins, quickly picked up the tied up women and just as quickly ran back.

The archers shot their arrows at the shamans and goblin archers.

"All the women are safe!"

"The spellcasters in sight have been taken out!"

This was the signal.

The adventurers hidden in the grass sprang up, ready to take on the horde of goblins.

"Alright!" exclaimed Spearman, his spear held tightly in his hands and excited expression adorned on his face. "Now attack!"

The front line adventurers then ran towards the horde of goblins. Amazon Warrior ran not too far from Conan. "Hey!" she called out, gaining Conan's attention. "How about that bet from before?! The loser buys the winner a drink!"

Conan gave her a grin before turning back at the goblin army. "Sounds good to me!"

The adventurers then quickly struck at the goblins. Conan swung his sword and bisected two of them in a single strike. He then proceeded to slash at them, the goblins standing no chance.

He saw others on the battlefield. Spearman also taking them out with relative ease, he saw another man with quite a big sword swinging down at the goblins followed by that blonde woman he met when he first arrived at the Guild.

The Amazon swung her axe at the goblins, easily killing them as well. "This will be the easiest money I've earned!"

"Hah, you'll end up spending it once I win!" Conan exclaimed while cutting down two more goblins, agitating her on purpose.

"You wish!" she said as she chopped off a head of another goblin. "I'll make you eat those words!"

Conan grinned at the woman. He likes how she had that spirit for battle as many Cimmerians do. One of the ways he found himself drawn to her. They continued cutting down several goblins before there weren't many in sight.

Then they heard a whistle, which was a signal that meant that the Goblin Riders were coming. That got the adventurers to retreat back to their previous positions. They closed the distance quickly and turned around, seeing goblins riding wolves.

"Alright then!" Spearman said as he reached below the grass, the Goblin Riders approaching them fast. When the wolves jumped to attack them it was time to spring up the trap. "Now!"

Over a dozen adventurers picked up three connected wooden logs with sharpened tips, the logs not being too wide but really long, and pointed them at the descending wolves causing them to get impaled on the sharpened tips with blood flowing down the logs.

Other adventurers in the back moved in to take out the remaining goblin force, quickly cutting them down.

Conan impaled one of them through the brain and quickly flicked it off his sword, a grin on his face, liking the thrill of a war-like battle he was participating in, with all the strategies and formations. He honestly felt like he was at his homeland.

One goblin tried to sneak behind him but Conan quickly turned around and gave it a nasty kick to the side of its head, instantly killing it.

He looked around but saw that there was lack of goblins and others finishing of the goblins they were facing, he even saw Spearman cutting down some goblins with speed and skill. The grass around them was now filled with blood and goblin corpses, with the adventurers standing over them.

"Well then," Amazon Warrior said as Conan turned to her direction. "I've got thirteen. You?"

"Fourteen," Conan replied with a cocky grin. "I guess you're buying drinks."

Before Amazon Warrior could give a proper response someone yelled 'Look out!' and a headless body came flying out of the forest and slamming on the ground, causing everyone to look at in that direction. In the forest where the goblins retreated the adventurers saw a new horde approaching. They looked similar to goblins from before except they were a lot bigger, towering over most adult humans, and a lot more muscular.

"So those are hobgoblins?" asked Conan as he looked at a new enemy they faced, remembering what Goblin Slayer told him about goblins on the mission they took together.

"Not just that, look," the Amazon said as she pointed to yet another goblin, but this one was so big it towered even over the new group, with a second one coming up right behind him. "Goblin Champions. Now, these guys can be trouble."

But instead of worrying, Conan just got excited again. These goblins might actually be a challenge this time. His Cimmerian blood boiling for more fighting.

"Then that means our contest isn't over," he said before looking back at her. "Or maybe you'll surrender?"

"Hah, like hell I will!" the Amazon exclaimed as she readied her axe. "Come on, let's kill some more goblin!"

The adventurers now went for an attack on the new goblin threat. Conan found himself nearing one of the hobgoblins, who swung his wooden club at him but Conan avoided the swing and responded back with his blade, which went through the hobgoblins throat making it grab the wound and choke on blood flowing into its lungs.

He soon found himself engaged to another one, though this one didn't use any weapons. The hobgoblin went to strike Conan with its huge fist, but Conan sidestepped the attack before responding in a similar way. He cocked his fist back before striking the hobgoblin at the side of its head, the impact was so devastating that that side of it exploded as blood, some bone chunks and brain matter sprayed from its head, killing he hobgoblin instantly.

Another went for a strike with a stone axe but Conan struck at the same time but aiming for the axe itself as his sword cut through the wood, separating the axe head from the handle. The hobgoblin couldn't be shocked for too long as Conan swiftly decapitated it.

The battlefield was clearer now, since the group of hobgoblins was much smaller than that of regular goblins, and saw some more adventurers, he saw the man with that huge sword and the blonde-haired knight fighting a Goblin Champion, with the woman blocking an attack and the Swordsman using the opportunity to strike with a great strength and slicing the big goblin in two.

Conan's attention was brought back into the fight as he saw two regular goblins going for an attack. Conan was quick to kill them with two swift strikes, but then he heard some roaring and saw a hobgoblin running his way with an angry look on its face.

The monster gave a roar once again as if trying to intimidate Conan, but the barbarian from the north had enough and just dashed at the hobgoblin faster than it could react and stabbing it through the mouth. He quickly pulled his sword back, making blood spurt from the goblin's mouth and it collapsed on the ground, dead.

Conan looked around the battlefield but saw no other goblins or hobgoblins there except the corpses littering the ground. Even the two Goblin Champions were killed making Conan feel slightly disappointed as he wanted to see what those goblins were made of. Perhaps another time.

The other adventurers seemed to take a breather, finally somewhat relaxing as the last of the goblins were finished off.

But Conan thought of another part of the plan. He looked towards the forest and ran inside. He ran for a while, avoiding any trees or branches in his way until he found a path and quickly followed it. He then smelled some blood and ran faster in that direction.

When he arrived, he saw Goblin Slayer and Priestess, with Goblin Slayer leaning on Priestess for support, and next to them, he saw another dead goblin lying on the ground in the pool of its own blood, though this one was different from the others as it was tall but not as tall as hobgoblins and it was dressed in some sort of robe and a breastplate. The Goblin Lord, he presumed.

He also saw a peculiar looking axe next to him. It was two-sided, black in color, decorated with a lion head in the middle and a short blade at the top.

But he didn't ponder on it too long as he approached the two, who looked shocked to see him there. "You two need help?" he asked them with a smile on his face.

* * *

Later at the Adventurers Guild, all the adventurers came back for a celebration of their victory, many happy with the gold they earned and some younger just glad that they were alive. The entire hall was filled with cheer and loud noises from the adventurers as they drank and celebrated.

Conan was sitting at one of the tables with Amazon Warrior, Witch, and even Spearman sitting there as they gave cheers and drank, though Witch drank some less potent alcohol.

The Amazon downed her drink and lightly slammed the tankard on the table. "By the gods, that hit the spot," she said as she wiped some leftover alcohol from her lips.

Conan just smiled at her. In the end, she was the one who won the contest, with Conan killing twenty and her killing twenty-one, so he is the one who ended up buying her drinks. But he wasn't really bothered by it.

"You said it," said Spearman as he took a drink from his tankard. "That was one hell of a battle."

"I saw you fight. You weren't that bad," commented Conan as he took a drink as well.

"Yeah, not that bad," said Spearman in a sarcastic tone. "How would you react if I said you were just alright?"

"I'd take it as a compliment and move on."

"Yeah, well… sure why not," Spearman stammered out. He honestly found himself surprised when Conan came to him and offered him to sit with them. He was about to protest but pointed out that this was a time for celebration, not inside fighting. Spearman was still hesitant since he and Conan didn't really get along, but in the end, he supposed they could put that aside and just enjoy the party, something Witch was very grateful for since their arguing was getting annoying. Spearman then cast a glance at something next to Conan. "And where did you get that axe?"

"Oh that," Conan said as he picked the axe up. "It belonged to Goblin Lord. I thought it would be a shame if I just let it be there."

Witch found herself staring at that axe. "So… you've found… it," she commented making Conan look at her in confusion. Seeing his reaction, she responded. "That weapon… belonged to another… adventurer from here. In fact… you quite… resemble him."

Conan looked at her a bit surprised, while Spearman put a hand on his chin in thought. "Yeah, now I do remember someone like that being here. But I didn't really interact with him," Spearman said before looking at his partner. "What happened to him?"

"Killed by… goblins," the Witch said with a sadder tone in her voice, even having Spearman look at her in shock. She remembered that adventurer. He looked pretty much like Conan, though he preferred a battle axe unlike Conan with his broadsword. Despite his barbaric look he was also quite charming and a gentleman.

Conan now saw the expression she had. They looked at each other in the eyes, unspoken words passed between them. Now Conan knew why Witch was so adamant about him taking a goblin quest despite knowing he was capable and why even then she insisted on Goblin Slayer to accompany him. He then gave Witch a smile and nod.

"Ah, that's a real shame," said Amazon Warrior as she would have liked to have met that man. She was curious if he was also like Conan in more ways than just looks.

"Hey everyone! Orcbolg took off his helmet!" High Elf Archer yelled out, making everyone in the Guild hear her. But once the exact words registered they immediately looked at Goblin Slayer and many came in droves to see what he looked like.

"Whoa, he's handsome!"

"Not bad, not bad."

"He's human?!"

"Damn it, I bet on that he was a woman!"

"I thought he was a goblin!"

Conan actually gave a laugh at all the comments they gave him. In all his years in all the groups he was in, this was definitely the most amusing one.

"Well… he's handsome," commented Witch.

Conan then got up and walked towards the crowd. He honestly felt proud that Goblin Slayer ended up revealing his face to them, but considering he saw him talking with Priestess he could presume she also had something to do with it. Nevertheless, it was still a step in the right direction.

Conan pushed through the crow of adventurers, gaining complaints from some of them before stepping in front of Goblin Slayer who sat on a bench and looked at Conan curiously with his red eyes. Conan then grabbed him by the arm pulled him up, with Priestess also. "Now that that's done, you won't be sitting here gathering dust. You're going there to actually enjoy the celebration," Conan said with a smile. "What do you say? The drinks are on me."

Goblin Slayer stood there for a moment and just stared at Conan. But then, he returned the smile with one of his own. "Alright."

And every adventurer burst into cheer again.

* * *

There are many gods in the world. Many of them take different sections of the world and they end up being worshiped there. They were also aware of other gods but they usually kept to themselves and not bother them. And it was so ever since the beginning of time.

The gods of this land had their own way of spending their immortal life. They decided the fate of people and lands, of the entire nations, all of it on a roll of a dice.

The dice determined the fates of many individuals, whether it be good or bad, the living beings merely pawns in their game.

One of the pawns stood out, a simple man who lived through tragedy, who, much to the surprise of the gods, didn't let them roll the dice.

Even with that, the gods were surprised once again. This time by the appearance of two other pawns, a barbarian and a wizard. But these pawns were not within the domain of these gods but from the domain of foreign gods.

To their further surprise, two of such gods appeared in their court. Gods who opposed each other in ideology, but each one had one of the two new pawns to represent them.

But these gods do not play with dice, they don't leave things to chance, they make sure that one will come out victorious. But these two pawns meant that they could get involved as well.

And so, the gods of these lands came to an agreement with the two foreign gods, and thus, a deal was struck, something the gods were intrigued by, an agreement between Mitra and Set.

And a wager has come into play.

* * *

**AN: And that's it for this one. We saw Conan participate in the battle against the goblin army and we saw him taking something special. Just in case you are wondering who Witch was talking about near the end, it's a character called Barbarian that appears in chapter 13 of the manga. I thought I should find a way to more incorporate him into the story, even though he's dead, since he does resemble Conan. **

**Hope you enjoyed! See you in the next one!**


	11. 10 New Ways

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Well, here is yet another chapter for you to enjoy. **

**Review time!**

**Evowizard25: The timeline is from the anime so there won't be a Watertown arc, though I'm pretty sure it was already mentioned before.**

**And yeah, I agree.**

**Nice to hear that. I have a feeling they might be even more after this chapter.**

**Well, I never planned for Arc Mage to be in Conan's harem or even include her at all. Though, now that I think about it she would be included for something I planned. As for Female Martial Artist, I'll think about it. I never really planned to give anyone else to Conan but I'll think about it.**

**Zealot24: Yeah, I know I won't be able to use that arc, which is why I wrote this the way I did.**

**Ronmr: Yeah, I figured he should at least be mentioned. And nice to hear I was able to make you laugh.**

**Guest: Well, it certainly fits their character.**

**Dracus6: Yeah, that's pretty much how it is though I'm not sure how to include Hero in it.**

* * *

10 New Ways

The mummified sorcerer walked through a cavern with a single torch in his hand to light his way through the dark, no other escort or anyone to guard him, so quiet the only sound that could be heard was that of his footsteps.

He walked for several moments before stopping in front of a steel door, nearly three times his size. He reached into his robe and pulled out a single key. He put into the keyhole and unlocked the door. The door immediately began opening without any aid but it didn't shock the wizard at all as he just walked inside. Once he did the door began closing behind him.

He then moved the torch in front of him, waved over the flame with his other hand and several streams of fire moved out of the torch and went into many other directions in the room lighting up other torches located on the walls and giving the room some proper illumination.

The room didn't have anything except for something in the front, which was a statue of a huge serpent coiled around a pillar with its head looking down.

The wizard then put his torch away and walked in front of the statue and giving it a deep bow. He suddenly started muttering some incantations in a long forgotten language, after which some green smoke came from the stone serpent's mouth. The smoke came in contact with the ground as it started taking a humanoid shape. It took a form of a man with green scaly skin, yellow snake-like eyes and black hair, his form covered by a white robe ornamented with jewels with a serpent necklace, golden armbands, a cylindrical headdress and a neatly braided beard that came from his chin.

"So, after all those sacrifices you finally decide to contact me," said the entity in hissing tone while also revealing his serpentine tongue.

"A thousand apologies, Lord Set. I was very busy gathering followers," the wizard said before looking up at the green-skinned god. "But if I may ask, why are you appearing in this form?"

Set then gave a small growl. "It would appear that while I am on this continent I'm required to look… presentable," he said the last word with disdain.

"Who would do such foolishness, to forbid you to be in your majestic true self!" the wizard exclaimed also in disdain, seeing such a requirement as blasphemy.

"The gods of these lands, there is nothing we can do about it. Even I have to abide by some laws," Set explained. "Though, I must say I'm surprised to see you alive. I was certain that your confrontation with the barbarian was the end of you."

"O mighty Set, I assure you it would take more than a mere savage to end me. I was able to use some of my magic incantations with my last breath to transport my spirit across and it landed in a body of some prophet. It took a while for my magic to form-"

"Irrelevant details," Set interrupted. "What is important is that you are once again of use to me. You see, since you appeared here you also brought my influence as well. The gods of these lands play games of chances, but you are a piece on the board they have no control over. I intervened before they could discuss your fate. So you were made my champion in this world."

Those words filled the wizard with unsurmountable happiness. "O great Lord Set, the honor you bestowed upon me-"

"Silence! Don't you dare interrupt me!" Set cut him off making the wizard bow his head low once again, not wanting to provoke the wrath of his god. "As I was saying," he continued in a softer but still intimidating tone. "There was a deal made between me and the gods of this land. A deal that also included Mitra."

That got the wizard's attention. What would a god like Mitra, an enemy of Set, want in this land? He didn't have any worshipers here.

"I sense your confusion, and it's understandable. Mitra also has a champion on this continent who is a part of this deal. You two will be competing against each other, which will end in the death of you or him, and the god who the person champions will have the authority to spread his power and influence throughout the continent. The other will be forbidden to set foot on it until it crumbles to dust."

Now the wizard understood. He was to champion his master in a fight against Mitra's champion so he could spread the glory of Set. Though as he recalled, Set said he was a champion because he was from the continent where Set was worshipped, so was the other champion from there as well? Was it some he knew'

He rose his head to meet the gaze of his master. "And who will I be competing against?"

"I… cannot say," was Set's answer. "I already told you all about the champion that I was allowed to and I can't give you any hints. If I say any more then I go against the rules and Mitra will end up winning the wager. Anything else about this champion you have to find on your own." The chaos god's form started turning back to smoke, his form slowly dissolving. "Win this, and you will be rewarded. Lose, and only death awaits you. Do not fail me." And with those final words, his form once again becoming the green smoke that began retreating back into the serpent statue's mouth.

After a few moments, the wizard rose to his feet, no longer seeing any activity coming from the statue. He turned back and moved out of the room. He had work to be done.

To the glory of Set.

* * *

The sound metal striking metal prevailed across the area, followed by grunts and swings of objects through pure air. Clang after clang echoed almost every second, sometimes along with guttural roars and yells.

Two figures were engaged in combat on the training ground of the Adventurer's Guild. Conan, a muscular bronze-skinned warrior with long ebony-black hair and blue eyes, dressed in mail above gamberson and fur boots, carrying a black two-sided axe, and Amazon Warrior, a scantily-clad muscular dark-skinned woman with long wild brown hair and golden eyes, her hands covered in fingerless gloves and boots on her feet, also carrying a two-sided axe, though with one side was smaller and with a pretty long handle.

The two of them stopped and stood slightly apart from each other panting before the Amazon gave a yelled and ran towards him and swung her axe in a horizontal strike to which Conan quickly reacted to by swinging his own axe to block it and hold it in place. Letting out a grunt, he used his strength to push the enemy axe away from him.

Conan then went for a counterattack by swinging his axe downward. The muscular woman then quickly brought up her axe and blocking the strike with her handle by putting it just below the axe head. It became a power struggle for a few moments with Conan trying to bring down the axe and Amazon Warrior pushing upward with both of her hands on the handle.

Conan then surprised by moving the bottom of his axe upward hitting the handle and using her momentum against her, causing the axe to go upward and losing her grip on one hand, leaving her wide open. Conan capitalized on this and delivered a kick to her abdomen making her open her mouth for a violent gasp and knocking her back.

She landed on her back on the grassy ground with a grunt, her eyes shut tight. When she opened them she found a blade that came from the tip of Conan's axe staring right at her and then she saw Conan standing above her, smirking.

The Amazon gave a scoff. "Fine, I surrender," she said with a disappointed look on her face.

Conan just continued grinning as he pulled the axe away before putting it in a holster on his back and extending his hand. The Amazon then grabbed a hold of his hand and he helped her up.

She then dusted herself. "And here I thought I'd have the advantage since you use a different weapon from before," she commented.

"Considering I'm proficient in many types of weapons and the fact I've used this type of axe before, that gamble was doomed from the start," Conan said.

"Like how the hell was I supposed to know that?" she asked rhetorically. "Well, I guess didn't really ask, now did I?" she said as she gave a chuckle.

Conan gave a chuckle as well. It has been a week after the goblin attack on the farm and pretty much every single adventurer started giving Goblin Slayer the respect he deserved. And in turn Goblin Slayer actually started talking more to them, especially when Conan asked him to join others for drinking. Plus, he could handle drinking better than before, lasting quite a good amount of time before feeling the effects.

"Say, wanna go for a rematch?" asked Amazon Warrior. "I think I'm getting a handle on your fighting style."

Conan was about to respond but then he looked to the side. "Sorry, but I already have another arrangement."

Amazon Warrior, wondering what he was talking about, also cast a look at that direction and saw Goblin Slayer walk towards them, dressed in his usual armor.

"So," he began as he approached them and stood before Conan. "What do you need me for? Guild Girl said that you requested to see me if I came here."

"Aren't you supposed to be on a goblin slaying quest or something?" the Amazon asked.

"There weren't any," Goblin Slayer simply answered.

"Right. As for why I requested to see you," Conan said as he walked to one of the benches where two objects were located. "I bought something that I thought might suit you." Conan then lifted one of the objects and threw it at Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer caught the object and looked at it. "A… saber?" Goblin Slayer asked. In his hand was a sheathed saber sword. He then unsheathed it and saw a single-edged curved blade about 90 centimeters long. He then looked at Conan who was walking back. "Why?"

"Quite simple," Conan said as he came back into his previous position though Goblin Slayer noticed he took off his armor and weapons, making him once again wear the brown fur cloth that covered his private parts which was held by a belt, and he was also carrying a saber. "When it comes to actual fighting you don't have any formal training. If you did, then you wouldn't complain about using longer swords in caves. Experience is good but, as I said before, it can only get you so far." He then unsheathed his own saber. "Which is why I'm going to teach you right now."

"But if I use a sword like this one then the goblins could get a hold-" he was interrupted when Conan struck at his helmet with his saber making Goblin Slayer's ears ring from the noise it produced.

"That's paranoia talking. They won't get the weapon if you take care of yourself properly. Besides, even if they do kill you then what difference is a single bigger sword going to make? Make one goblin a slightly bigger threat? In your hands, this is a far more dangerous weapon than in a goblin's," Conan said in a lecturing tone as he put some distance between him and Goblin Slayer. "You are making a threat sound bigger than it actually is. If anything, your throwing knives would be a more dangerous thing to carry around since if they kill you then at least six more goblins are armed, regardless of weapon quality."

Conan then got himself into a battle position, but after looking at Goblin Slayer he dropped it. "Well?"

Goblin Slayer cocked his head slightly sideways in confusion. "Well what?"

Conan sighed. He once again felt like he was talking to a rookie. "Get out of that armor. It's mid-day and we are about to have several hours of training. Or are you fond of sweating like a pig?"

"But… didn't you just have a fight against her with it?" Goblin Slayer asked while pointing at the Amazon, who was now sitting on a bench looking at them.

"That was only for a few minutes," Conan explained. "And don't give me the goblin excuse. If you do, I'll cut out your tongue."

Goblin Slayer gave a deep sigh before taking his helmet off.

Back at the bench, Amazon Warrior chuckled to herself. "Oh, this will be good."

* * *

Heavy Warrior was currently coming back to the Adventurer's Guild after a mission. He was a tall man with black hair, brown eyes and two scars on his left cheek, dressed in black plate armor with golden highlights located above a red shirt, a white cape around his neck that went below his knees, brown pants, armored boots, pauldrons, and vambraces. For weapons, he had a sheathed dagger strapped to his belt and, most noticeably, a large sword he carried while leaning it on his shoulders.

He came through the front door of the Guild and gave a sigh. "And that's yet another evil wizard less in the world," he commented.

"You sound disappointed," said a voice behind him which belonged to Female Knight. She was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a full set of body-fitting plate armor with golden highlights, a blue cape that went below her knees and a sword sheathed on her hip.

Behind her followed other members of their party. Half-Elf Fighter, a young man with light-colored hair dressed in regular clothes with plate armor on his chest and a small sword on his hip, Druid Girl, a young girl with light-brown hair and green eyes, dressed in pink winter hat and outfit, and Scout Boy, a young man with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in a green shirt and light-blue pants with light leather armor on his chest.

"Bah, he wasn't that much of challenge. I thought he was going to be more considering all the fuss made about him," complained Heavy Warrior. They have a taken a quest where it said that an evil wizard was spreading terror near a town located southeast, where he killed many men and kidnapped women for himself. They fought him and the battle barely lasted one minute.

"But, we saved those people. Isn't that what's important?" Druid girl asked the tall warrior.

"Well, yeah," admitted Heavy Warrior, honestly forgetting why what they do is important in the first place.

"Um, guys, is it just me or is this place emptier than usual?" asked Scout Boy as he pointed at the Guild Hall.

When the rest of them looked at the Hall they saw what he was talking about. It was half-empty, which was strange since they recalled that there were no interesting quests that begged to be taken and they weren't gone that long. Another thing they noticed that the adventurers that were missing were… women.

Heavy Warrior walked over to the receptionist's desk where Guild Girl was located, he noticed that she seemed bummed out for some reason. "What's going on here?"

Guild Girl slightly jumped in surprise as if only now noticing him but quickly regained a smile. "Oh, hello there. How was your quest?"

"It was fine," he answered. "But that doesn't answer my question. Why is the Hall so empty?"

"Umm… well, they are… at the training ground," said Guild Girl though her smile slightly faltered and Heavy Warrior could hear some irritation in her voice.

But, why were all the women located in the training ground? That was a bit unusual. He decided to check it out, but first, he collected a reward for the quest before he and his team went to the training ground.

"So, what do you think this is about?" Female Knight asked Heavy Warrior.

"We'll see," was his response before he opened the door to the training ground.

They were greeted by the sight of most of the female adventurers huddled together, watching something in front of them.

"Damn it, let me see, let me see!" said a shorter one as she tried jumping to have a look.

The group could now also hear the sound of metal clangs as if someone was fighting. That wasn't unusual, that's what this place was used for, so why all the attention?

One of them looked back in their direction, who they recognized as Female Martial Artist, a woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and two bangs framing her face, light-green eyes, wearing a form-fitting piece of armor that left her navel exposed, green shorts and boots. She gave them a wave. "Hey guys, come here! You don't want to miss the show."

Now they were intrigued. They went to the crown and Heavy Warrior pushed through some of them to get a better view. When they saw what was going on they were shocked.

There were Conan and Goblin Slayer, practicing with sabers. But that obviously wasn't why there was such a crowd. Both them were shirtless with their muscular forms exposed to the world as they glistened with sweat covering their bodies, though Goblin Slayer's more than Conan's. Now Heavy Warrior had a good idea why so many female adventurers were gathered here.

The two of them resumed their practice, as if not noticing they were being watched like pieces of meat. Goblin Slayer attacked Conan, thrusting his saber at Conan's side which Conan quickly blocked and countered with a quick slash to Goblin Slayer's neck. Goblin Slayer blocked the attack though with more difficulty than Conan and went for a counter slash of his own which Conan also blocked, which ended up with two of them having an exchange of slashing and blocking.

"I see Conan can also use a saber among other weapons," commented Female Knight as she watched the two of them clash swords, and seeing Conan handle his own much better than Goblin Slayer, even outright ignoring opportunities for counters. "He seems pretty versatile."

"Really, that's all you notice," came the voice of Amazon Warrior as she walked beside them. "You don't have any comment about their… forms?" She then looked at Druid Girl who watched two of them with a blush on her cheeks. "She seems to have some," the Amazon said as she pointed at the girl causing her to blush even more and look away.

Female Knight scoffed at the muscular woman's behavior. "I'm not easily distracted by such things. And how exactly are you okay with all of them ogling at your lover?" she asked. By now, pretty much everyone knew of the relationship the Amazon and Conan had so she didn't understand why Amazon Warrior seemed not to care.

The Amazon waved her hand dismissively. "They can watch all they want. That's the only thing they'll be able to do," she explained, knowing they didn't catch Conan's eye as she and Witch did. "Besides, you can't tell me you don't find two fine hunks going at each other appealing." The way the sentence was phrased caused Female Knight to blush.

Goblin Slayer was sent backward with his hand on his shoulder and Conan in front of him with the blunt side of his saber turned, indicating he hit Goblin Slayer with it. Goblin Slayer then quickly wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, inhaled some air and attacked Conan with a downward slash which Conan blocked causing Goblin Slayer's muscles to tense, some of the women in the crowd actually squealing.

"Well, I think I've seen enough," said Heavy Warrior as he turned around. He then cast a glance at his team. "You all coming?" he asked receiving nods from them and they departed.

* * *

Goblin Slayer sat over a wooden container of water, washing his shirt. While practicing with Conan it started clinging to his skin from the sweat so he took it off and they continued practicing. One of the female adventurers saw them and continued watching them. Not too long after more of them appeared, though Conan said they should just continue training and they can watch if they want. But after a while, they went away to do whatever business they had.

The training was intense, lasting hours until the sun began to set and Goblin Slayer deciding to clean his shirt from the sweat it gathered.

"You did well today," he heard Conan say and looked up, seeing Conan wiping his head with a towel. "You're a quick learner. You can be great if you keep practicing."

"Thanks," Goblin Slayer said as he finished washing his shirt. He then got up and looked at Conan. "I… have a question."

"Oh really? What is it?"

"You see, tomorrow is… Cow Girl's birthday," said Goblin Slayer making Conan look at him curiously as for why he was telling him this and what did it have to do with his question. "And since you are more familiar with women than I am, can you tell me what I can give her. I'm not really sure."

Conan couldn't keep a grin from forming on his face, making Goblin Slayer kind of nervous. "Well, the answer is quite simple," Conan said as he extended his hand poking Goblin Slayer's chest with his index finger. "You."

Goblin Slayer looked confused. "Me? What you mean?" he asked but then saw a knowing look on Conan's face. Slowly he started connecting the dots in his head and began blushing. "Y-you can't mean-"

"Yes, I do," Conan interrupted. "The woman obviously likes you and probably wanted you for years, while you just went around thinking about goblins. Believe me, if you give her this, then she'll the happiest woman in the world." Conan gave a Goblin Slayer a reassuring smile.

"I see," was Goblin Slayer's only response. "And what should I do exactly?"

* * *

Cow Girl sat outside while looking at the night sky, still waiting for Goblin Slayer to show up. She was still worried about him and hoped he came back soon, safe from any harm. She then also remembered when she asked him how the celebration went and he told them what happened.

To say she was shocked would be an understatement, first because he was actually embarrassed to say what exactly happened, and second when he actually did. She was honestly on the verge of tears but quickly excused herself by saying she needed to go to the bathroom, but she also noticed the disapproving look in her uncle's eyes. She knew Goblin Slayer didn't notice what was going on and she was glad for his ignorance for once. But she couldn't blame him, especially when he explained he went in blind and intoxicated, though he didn't show any regret either.

She then noticed something in the distance and she was surprised by what she saw. It was Goblin Slayer, but he wasn't wearing his armor. That wasn't really normal since he always came back while wearing it. She saw that he carried a bag on his back so she assumed that's where it was. She also noticed that he had some sort of sword wrapped on his hip. So he got himself a new weapon?

When he reached the door he stopped to look at her. "Hey."

She smiled at him. He may be out of armor but his speed remained the same. "Hey there. Welcome home."

He then looked up and saw the moon's position. "It's almost midnight, isn't it?"

She looked at him confused since that wasn't something he usually asked. "I… suppose so. Why do you ask?"

"I see." He then turned his gaze back at her. "Let's go to my room. We… need to talk."

Cow Girl blinked at that. Did he seriously asked her to come to his room? Knowing him it wasn't for what she was thinking about but she still thought it curious. "Um, alright. About what?"

"Just… follow me, please," he asked and walked inside the house.

She got up from her chair and followed him. Once they got into his room he discarded the bag he was carrying and went to close the door.

"Um, what's going on?" she asked still not sure why he was behaving so strangely.

"By now it's already past midnight," he said as he turned back to her. "Which means that right now it's your birthday."

Cow Girl blushed, flattered that he remembered that fact. "Well, yes it is."

"Then there is… something I need to give you," he said as he approached her until there was minimal space between.

Cow Girl's blush intensified. This can't go where she hoped, can it?

Once again to her shocked, Goblin Slayer put his arm around her waist causing her to fidget for a moment before his other hand found its way to the back to the back of her head. And in one more twist, he quickly closed the distance between them by kissing her right on the lips.

Her eyes were now wide as saucers. She couldn't believe it. This was happening! The love of her life was now kissing her! On her birthday no less! She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close and she could also feel his grip on her tightening as well. If this was a dream she never wanted to wake up.

* * *

**AN: And that's that! Not much happened except for some development and Goblin Slayer's relationship status changing, but I hope I was able to entertain.**

**See you next time!**


	12. 11 Nature's Evil

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here is yet another chapter. Now for this one, I thought I would do something a bit different. You'll see so enough. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Now for reviews.**

**Romnr: He sure can be.**

**mpowers045: Considering he already slept with Witch I'm pretty sure the answer is clear.**

**Evowizard25: As I thought about it further, I think including Arc Mage would be logical. And I'll see to the development as well.**

**They sure did.**

**Guest: It's nice that you see it that way.**

**Guest(2): It sure is.**

**Dracus6: Well, when you put it like that I guess it makes sense.**

**Guest(3): Hmm, I'll see what I can do with that.**

* * *

11 Nature's Evil

The sun appeared on the horizon and the rooster started crowing, indicating the beginning of the morning. And in that morning, Cow Girl began to awaken. He eyes slowly opened as sleep faded. She rubbed her eyes to remove what little sleepiness there was in them and went to sit up, but to her surprise, she found she couldn't.

She then realized that it felt a lot warmer and something was wrapped around her, something she previously assumed was a blanket but it definitely wasn't. When her sight was clear, she also saw that it wasn't her room, but the room belonging to Goblin Slayer.

Suddenly a blush came to her face as she thought of what might have happened. She turned her head to see what kept her warm, and there he was, Goblin Slayer was sleeping next to her with his arm wrapped around her.

She then began recalling the events that happened last night. How Goblin Slayer came back without his armor, how he told her they needed to talk in his room, him mentioning that it's her birthday and kissing her. Then things escalated quickly and she blushed even heavier as she remembered the details of what they did.

But quickly, a huge smile found itself on her face. What happened last night definitely wasn't a dream. Goblin Slayer, someone she played with in childhood, a man who she loved but was too obsessed with killing goblins to notice, came to her and slept with her. And on her birthday! She was so happy she snuggled into him more and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't care if she overslept, or what will happen the rest of the day, she just wanted to lay there and enjoy the feeling of his warmth.

After a while, Goblin Slayer began to wake up as well. He felt the somewhat familiar sensation of a body on him and looked down. He was greeted by a smiling face of Cow Girl, and, if he was being honest, she never looked happier. He remembered last night and what they did, him even using some tricks he remembered when he was with those two women that Conan found him.

"Good morning!" Cow Girl said in an even more chipper tone than usual.

"Um, how was last night?" Goblin Slayer asked though he could remember that she was happy with how she sounded while they had intercourse.

"Oh, it was fantastic! Words cannot describe how happy I am!" she exclaimed as she gave him a tight hug. "That was the best birthday ever!"

This brought a smile on Goblin Slayer's face, seeing Cow Girl so happy. In response, even he tightened the hug. So Conan's advice was right after all. He would have to thank him later.

The door then suddenly opened.

"Hey, have you by any chance seen-," said Cow Girl's uncle, a man with brown hair and really thin mustache, dressed in a white shirt and brown pants, as he came through the door but stopped as he saw the two of them and gained a look of surprise.

Cow Girl gave a yelp and quickly covered herself. "By the gods, uncle! Haven't you heard of knocking?!" she yelled out with an irritated look on her face which was flushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, um…" Goblin Slayer started stammering. "Sorry, if I kept her too long. We'll get up immediately."

The middle-aged man "Oh! W-well, i-it's alright," he was able to mutter out before coughing into his hand. "You can… stay for a few minutes. I'll… begin with chores myself." He then excused himself from the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Sometime later, Cow Girl sat in a field while milking one of the cows, with a really happy smile on her face, while Goblin Slayer was on his usual routine of checking for any signs of goblins. She still hardly believed what happened. She lost her first time to Goblin Slayer like she dreamed for years.

"Alright, start talking." Cow Girl could hear the voice of her uncle speak behind her. She stopped what she was doing and turned to him, seeing a serious look on his face while his arms were crossed. "What exactly happened last night?"

Cow Girl gave him a pout. "And just what do you think happened when you found us in his room?"

Her uncle then looked annoyed. "What I mean is how exactly did it come to that? We both know him and what you two did was very uncharacteristic of him. And why is he suddenly not wearing his helmet? And what is with that new sword he is carrying? Doesn't he usually carry those small ones? He gave me a whole lecture about big swords and how not useful they are against goblins. And now he suddenly sleeps with you and you just accepted him despite knowing he already had whores?"

Cow Girl huffed in annoyance at his barrage of questions. "Damn it, uncle! One question at a time!" she exclaimed. "And stop accusing him about having prostitutes! I honestly don't really care anymore. He obviously cares for me. As for how it happened. He came late last night and I greeted him. He asked me about my birthday and that I follow him to his room. He then kissed me and things escalated from there," she explained as she saw a shocked look on her uncle's face. "As for the helmet and the sword, I have no idea."

Her uncle stood there for several moments, not really believing what he heard. He just couldn't think of Goblin Slayer being so… knowing. What caused the sudden change? Not only did he sleep with his niece last night as some sort of birthday present, which he would do only if he knew about Cow Girl's situation, now he didn't wear a helmet and was carrying a longer sword which for a long time he was opposed to. And it all seemingly happened at the same time.

Now that he thought of it, Goblin Slayer explained to them that a man named Conan actually took him on that celebration and even convinced him to sleep with some of the prostitutes. Could that man also be responsible for that change? From what he heard this Conan is supposed to be a really good adventurer so it could explain Goblin Slayer's change in gear. Did he also put him up to last night? It seemed so, considering how it definitely isn't something Goblin Slayer would think of.

He shook his head. He was honestly gaining a headache from all the thinking. "Well, whatever the reason I hope this doesn't end up with you sad. You better know what you're doing."

"Uncle, I'm not a little girl, I can handle myself. We took a big step in a relationship, can't you see that? I thought you would be more supportive," said Cow Girl.

Her uncle sighed at that. "Normally, I would be. But this is Goblin Slayer we are talking about. Even now you see his behavior didn't completely change. I'm just worried that this might be just one-time deal to him and he'll just go back to his previous self."

Cow Girl then gave him a glare. "He won't. That I assure you," she said before turning away from him. "Now if you excuse me, there is work to be done."

He once again let out a sigh. Looks like she got the determination to keep her man from her mother, who was also determined to be with Cow Girl's father despite her parents' protests. Even against his. He honestly hoped this relationship turned out well as it did for his sister. At least Goblin Slayer would protect her from goblins.

"Fine then. I won't pressure you any further," he said as walked away, leaving her to her work.

* * *

Goblin was walking to the Adventurer's Guild, with his helmet strapped to his belt by a string instead of on his head. He somehow felt more comfortable this day than the others. Could that be because of what happened between him and Cow Girl? Maybe, but he wasn't an expert so it was hard to tell.

Despite all that, he still needed to earn some money. Sure he still didn't spend all the gold he received from that demon fight but having extra money wouldn't hurt.

He quickly found himself at the Guild door and entered, being greeted by the usual sight of Guild Girl though she seemed to have been caught off guard since he didn't wear his helmet, but she quickly regained her posture.

"Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. How may I help you today?" she asked with her usual smile.

"Are there any goblins?" he asked the usual question.

She then put a hand on her chin. "Hmm, give me a moment so I can check," she said before taking out some papers. After looking through them her gaze went back to Goblin Slayer. "Sorry, but there are no goblin quests today."

"I see." He wondered what was with the lack of goblins lately. Usually, he would gain a quest by the next day.

"You probably took so many quests that they ended up all dying," quipped a familiar voice of Spearman as he approached the receptionist's desk. "So, are you planning on actually taking a different one?"

"I just might," said Goblin Slayer before turning back to Guild Girl. "By the way, have you seen Conan today?"

"Why yes, he actually went on a quest with several other adventurers earlier today," Guild Girl explained.

"Yeah, my partner went with them as well," said Spearman. "She told me it was to break away from the usual routine but I saw through that. She obviously has the hots for Conan and doesn't want to lose to Amazon Warrior. There ain't anything she can hide from me."

Guild Girl actually had to control herself not to let out a laugh, knowing about his obliviousness when it came to his partner. She remembered when Witch asked her about Spearman so she could join him, her primary reason being her crush on him. It was a wonder he didn't notice.

"But enough about that," Spearman said as he walked next to Goblin Slayer. "What do you say the two of us go on a quest? I'd really like to see what you're made of personally."

Goblin Slayer just stared at him for a few moments, surprised he would propose such a thing. He thought that Spearman didn't like him very much. But that was probably because he wasn't that good at reading people. "Well, alright," he responded. He said he would go on a different quest so maybe this was a good chance.

"Nice!" Spearman exclaimed as he tapped Goblin Slayer's shoulder before turning to Guild Girl. "Do you have any interesting quests for the two of us?"

"Oh, well. Let's see," Guild Girl said as she looked through quest papers.

"Hey, what about that one?" Spearman suddenly asked as he saw one of the papers and pointed at it.

Guild Girl picked up that paper and read through it. "This is a quest for dealing with some sort of creature that is terrorizing Fruit Village."

Spearman just grinned and took the paper. "Seems good enough. What do you think?" he asked Goblin Slayer.

"I don't have anything against it."

"Splendid! Alright, Guild Girl, we're taking this quest," he exclaimed with an excited expression on his face.

"Um, are you sure? As it said, this creature wasn't identified. It could be dangerous," Guild Girl said while looking concerned.

"Heh, it's cute how you're worried about us. But don't worry, I'm sure the two of us can handle ourselves just fine," he said before turning away. "Well, I'm gonna go prepare. You should too, Goblin Slayer. See ya later." He then walked away.

There was brief silence for a moment before Goblin Slayer broke it. "Before I leave, I need to ask," he said as he turned back to Guild Girl. "It has been some time since the investigation on that demon began. Have there been any clues? Were the women located?"

Guild Girl looked down in shame at that and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but there isn't any news about it. We haven't received any report about any kind of progress. The demon can't be identified since it was never seen before so we don't know its behavior or anything similar which might get some clues. And we aren't picking any trail on those women. I'm sorry, that's all we've received."

"I see," Goblin Slayer said in a low tone but his fist was clenching. "Thank you for the information. Now I think I'll go pack my things for the trip."

"Very well," Guild Girl said quietly.

Goblin Slayer noticed that she was sad when she said that as if disappointed that she wasn't more of assistance to saving those women who have been missing for weeks and not heard from. He then remembered how Conan tried to give comfort to him so he put up his arm and grabbed Guild Girl gently by the shoulder causing her to look at him in surprise. "Don't be sad about that. I'm sure everything's being done to help those women. I'm sure we'll end up getting news about it sooner or later."

That caused Guild Girl to blush. It was obvious to her he tried to comfort her, something that was unusual for him but not unwelcome. "I… thank you. I feel better already."

Goblin Slayer gave her a nod before retracting his hand and walking towards the door.

"Hey wait!" Guild Girl called out causing him to stop.

He turned back to face her. "What is it?"

A blush still adorned the woman's cheeks. "Well, you do know about the Harvest Festival coming up?" she asked getting a nod from him. "Are you going to be busy during that time?"

Goblin Slayer gave it a thought before responding. "No, I'm not."

"I see. Well then, neither am I so I thought," she said while meekly staring at the floor. "I thought that maybe we… maybe the two of us… could go together to the festival." She then shyly looked up at him. "What do you say?"

Goblin Slayer blinked at that. "The two of us?" he asked getting a nod from her. He gave it a thought. He could accept since he didn't have anything better to do during that day. But something else was on his mind. Was she asking him as a friend, or was it something else? Sure he could understand women better these days but some things still alluded him.

But if she wasn't then what should he say? He could probably say no since he was already more or less in a relationship with Cow Girl. But if he refused then how would Guild Girl react? Would it be fine if he just went there? What would Cow Girl think of that? He honestly didn't know what would be a proper reaction to this.

"Um, I… Well… I'll have to think about it," he said while stammering. "But I promise you'll have my answer soon after I finish this mission."

Guild Girl's expression turned to a somewhat disappointed one. "Oh, alright. Well, I look forward to your answer."

Goblin Slayer gave a nod before going out of the building. When he did he gave a deep sigh and rubbed his face with his hand. He had a feeling this was going to get complicated.

* * *

Goblin Slayer and Spearman were riding in a carriage to Fruit Village, where they should be in only several hours. Goblin Slayer once again wore the helmet, reasoning that the road was a good place for you to be attacked.

They sat in relative silence until Spearman spoke up. "Alright, I'm gonna ask," he said gaining Goblin Slayer's attention. "How do I get Guild Girl to like me?"

That actually caused Goblin Slayer to look at him stunned behind his helmet. "Um… why are you asking me that?"

"Oh, come on! Tell me! I tried to get her attention for years! I went on many dangerous quests, saved who knows how many people, I became a Silver rank for gods' sakes!" he ranted while slowly raising his voice. "And despite all that she likes you! You of all people! A guy who isn't interested! And you just kill goblins! I mean how is that impressive?!" Then he remembered what Goblin Slayer did on that goblin attack. "Alright! Alright! It is somewhat impressive."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Goblin Slayer a little annoyed by the man's ranting.

"What I'm asking is, how do you do it? What do you have that I don't?"

"I… Well I…," Goblin Slayer stammered. "I don't know how to answer that."

"Come on! There has to be something!"

"I'm sorry, but I just don't know. I'm new with the whole relationship thing. I wouldn't understand why," Goblin Slayer explained, getting Spearman to lay back in his seat and give a sigh.

"Well, that's a real bummer," Spearman said.

"But I don't understand one thing," Goblin Slayer said now gaining Spearman's attention. "What about your partner? Why don't you get together with her?"

Spearman just shook his head. "Now I understand when you say you are new to relationships. You see, when you fall in love with someone you don't go after anyone else. You just keep on trying until the person you love accepts you and you can finally spend the rest of your days together. Witch may be something but Guild Girl is the love of my life. And I'll make sure that one day she sees me as a great man that I am!" Spearman finished with an epic grin on his face as he held his clenched fist in front of him.

"That's the sappiest thing I've ever heard," came the voice of the carriage driver.

That caused Spearman to fume in rage as he turned towards the driver. "You shut up and drive! Nobody asked you!"

* * *

They drove for a few more hours in relative silence, except for some rumbling from Spearman on how carriage drivers should keep their opinions to themselves. When they arrived they paid the driver and went towards the meeting place where the Mayor of Fruit Village requested.

When they met the man, he explained that they couldn't identify the creature attacking them since it doesn't leave the forest. But whoever enters the forest is killed and their remains aren't found, only identified by screams and some monstrous howls. There were also occasions of boulders being thrown at them from the forest, showing that the creature could hurt them even without leaving the forest. They even sent a few hunting parties but they met the same fate as everyone else that entered the forest.

But Spearman wasn't worried, assuring the man that they could deal with the creature. So now they found themselves going into the forest, Spearman with a more carefree attitude, and Goblin Slayer going with a lot more caution.

The forest didn't seem dense since it had a lot of space to move in, but the tree crowns were more thick with leaves, not leaving too much sunlight to go through and there were some dark spots around. None of which lessened Spearman's positivity.

"I'm telling ya, man, I have a feeling this thing is going to be a cakewalk," Spearman said with a confident grin on his face. "It is probably just some troll or something. I'm sure even you can take care of it by yourself."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions so soon. We haven't even seen what is out there so it might as well be something dangerous," Goblin Slayer said in his usual monotone voice though there was seriousness present in it.

"Bah, you worry too much. If anything it will-"

He stopped talking when a strange whirling sound was heard above them, causing their instincts to kick in and quickly move out of the way as between them landed a huge boulder with such force that shook the ground.

"Well then," Spearman said as he readied his spear. "Looks like our monster has finally made its move. Better get ready."

Goblin Slayer's hand went to his shortsword on reflex but he stopped himself from pulling it out. He then went for his new weapon, the saber, and he pulled it out, wanting to test it out.

"I see you're planning on testing your new toy," Spearman said as he glanced at Goblin Slayer for a moment. "Nice to see you carrying some proper weapons for a change."

Goblin Slayer didn't comment on that and just focused on looking for the creature. No more boulders came to their direction, which probably meant that the creature saw them dodge it and wasn't planning on trying again. And it probably also meant that it was close since it could see them.

Goblin Slayer scanned the area, looking for any sign of movement, any hint that might alert him to the creature's presence.

However, Spearman was getting impatient. "Ok, come out you coward! What, don't think you can handle us?!"

They were met with a sound of animalistic growling, but it was hard to determine where exactly it was coming from.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are. I promise I'll make this quick," Spearman taunted with confidence written all over his face, figuring this thing was scared of them since it didn't show up.

Goblin Slayer, on the other hand, was on high alert. That sound seemed to be very close but he couldn't detect any movement. And the sound gave the impression that it was quite big.

Then they suddenly heard a tearing sound and quickly turned around to see a tree falling down on top of them but they also quickly avoided it as it landed between them, making dust fly up from the impact and ground shake, while also separating them.

A loud growl could be heard but this time the source was clear, and it was coming from behind Spearman. He quickly turned around but his vision was met with only gray as something really hard hit his head and sent him flying. After a few meters, he was tumbling on the ground and slightly grunting in pain.

Goblin Slayer was surprised by what he saw. In front of him stood a… gorilla. But what was strange about it is that it was bigger than any gorilla should be, it would easily tower over Conan, and its fur was also grey.

The gorilla then seemingly went to attack Goblin Slayer, making the young man prepare for its assault.

"Now wait for just a second," Spearman said as he walked up to the gorilla whose attention was now back on him as he rubbed his jaw. "Well, I must admit, that was one hell of a hit. But I assure you, you won't get another one." He then pointed his spear at the gorilla and smirked. "Though, I honestly didn't expect an overgrown monkey to be the mystery monster."

The gorilla snarled at him, seemingly understanding what he said or it was just irritated by his talking.

"But enough about that. Let's get wild!" Spearman exclaimed and dashed at the gorilla. He went for a thrust to the dead but the gorilla moved its head out of the way of the spearhead. Spearman went for several more thrusting strikes and even some swiping strikes, causing the gorilla to back away. "Ha! What's the matter? You aren't that effective when you don't use sneak attacks?"

He then went for another swipe, but then he was surprised when the gorilla actually caught the spear with its huge hand, making Spearman gain a look of surprise. He then tried to pry it out of its hand but it had a strong grip. The gorilla then got annoyed and actually lifted the spear and Spearman with it, causing him to yelp in surprise. It then started swinging him around, making Spearman slowly lose his grip on his spear until he eventually let go and was hurled to the side, landing on the ground.

The gorilla, with the spear still in hand, then turned to the place where Goblin Slayer was, only to find him gone. It gained a look of confusion before looking around, trying to find him.

Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer was hiding behind one of the trees, while slowly peaking behind it to see what the gorilla was doing. This wasn't going to be easy, the beast was strong, quick and pretty intelligent. It tried to get rid of them twice before appearing in person to fight them since its methods from before didn't work. And it was also able to dodge attacks and deprive Spearman of his weapon.

He needed to play it smart. Full on frontal assault would be madness but he needed to get Spearman his weapon back. He checked his pouch to see what could be useful until he stumbled upon it. An endurance potion, something he thought would be useful since he came into contact with really strong creatures lately. That should do the trick.

After formulating the plan, he went into action.

He took out a throwing knife and drank the potion of endurance, and he could feel his body getting stronger. He then quickly came out of and threw a knife at the creature, hitting its back and retreating back. The gorilla gave a scream in pain and went to take out the knife. Once it did, it turned into the direction of where the knife came from before swiftly closing the distance between them.

The gorilla then looked around until its eyes landed on Goblin Slayer, who then threw some smoke bombs into its face blinding it and making it grunt. It used its free hand to try and swipe the smoke. Goblin Slayer then used the opportunity to approach the gorilla, take out his saber and slash at its wrist, causing the gorilla to let out a pained howl. He grabbed the spear before it could fall to the ground but was soon met by a strike from the grey-furred creature as he was sent flying back.

As he landed on the ground with a pained grunt, he quickly got up. The potion worked, making the damage less effective but it still hurt like hell. But he didn't ponder on it too long before making his way towards Spearman, who rose from the ground while rubbing his head, having previously landed on it thanks to the actions of the gorilla.

"Here," Goblin Slayer said while handing him his spear.

"Huh?" Spearman came to his senses and saw Goblin Slayer holding his signature weapon. "Oh thanks," he said as he took the weapon. He then turned towards the gorilla which appeared to have come back to its senses as it growled angrily at them while holding its bleeding wrist. "Well, we still have him to deal with."

"I have a plan," Goblin Slayer said as he proceeded to explain what they should do.

"Well, I'm more of a straightforward guy but I can appreciate a good strategy. Fine then," he said as he once again readied his spear. "Let's do it."

He then dashed at the gorilla again. The gorilla then got itself ready for the attack, but when Spearman seemingly went for a thrust he the threw his spear, surprising the gorilla before the spear pierced its gut with the spearhead halfway through. The creature screamed but Spearman didn't give it a lot of time to react as he closed the distance, grabbed his spear and proceeded to thrust it deeper.

The gorilla howled before grabbing the spear and stopping Spearman from thrusting it any deeper. But then Goblin Slayer came from behind Spearman, jumped on his armored shoulder and went to attack the gorilla's face with his saber. The gorilla reacted quickly as it grabbed Goblin Slayer by his arm and stopping his attack, but Goblin Slayer then swiftly took out his shortsword and threw at its head, with the blade embedding deeply in its skull.

The gorilla froze for a few moments, but then it suddenly started to weave, letting go of Goblin Slayer who quickly pushed himself away from it, before collapsing on its back, dead from the blade that pierced through its brain.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Spearman with a grin on his face. Then he gained a thoughtful look before frowning. "And now we have to report to Guild Girl and tell her that we were beaten around by a big monkey. Just great."

Goblin Slayer wasn't paying attention, still wondering what was with that gorilla. Those weren't native to these lands and he has never even heard of this type of gorilla, making it yet another strange creature that they never heard of before appear.

Just what was going on?

* * *

**AN: Yeah, this chapter didn't contain Conan in it. I thought it might be a good change from the norm and to focus on someone other than Conan. But don't worry, he'll be back in the next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed it! See you next time!**


	13. 12 Attacks from Underneath

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And we come back to The Stranded Barbarian with yet another chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**Review time!**

**Guest: Well, things are going to get interesting that's for sure.**

**Guest(2): Haven't played the game but from what I've seen it mostly contains the monster already in the Conan mythos.**

**Dracus6: I'll try to incorporate her the best I can.**

**Z.L.C. genesmith: It probably will.**

**Guest(3): Well I thought he also needed some focusing. He is a title character after all. And don't worry, here he is.**

**Evowizard25: Nice to see you enjoyed it.**

**Now you know how I felt when I read a Conan story where he only used a knife. And sabers wouldn't be considered longswords since those are two-handed while sabers are one-handed.**

**Yeah, it was a bit funny. And I don't think this will go the way you imagine.**

**Guest(4): Here he is. And yeah, GS can be.**

**Guest(5): Actually, no that wasn't Thak. That was just another Grey Ape.**

* * *

12 Attacks from Underneath

As Goblin Slayer and Spearman had their little adventure, Conan was traveling with his own group of adventurers. With him were Amazon Warrior, Witch, Heavy Warrior, Female Martial Artist, and Female Knight. This came about from insistence of Amazon Warrior that he should bond with more of the Guildmates at the Guild. Conan wasn't sure at first but he agreed.

So they asked Heavy Swordsman if he and his team could join, but only he and Female Knight were available. Female Martial Artist joined in and asked if she could get a spot, interested in the temporary group that was being formed. She was then soon followed by Witch, who said that such a group also needed a mage.

And here they were, a group of six pretty skilled adventurers taking on a quest that a previous group of adventurers has taken. There were five of them, either bronze or silver, but they never made it back. What the creature they were sent to kill was they weren't sure, but it was specified to be located within a cave.

When they got the details of the quest, the group was formed and they headed out. However, there were no carriages available so they had to walk on foot. None of them minded, it's just that carriages made things more convenient. And Conan had to go on longer trips on foot so this wasn't a problem.

As they walked, the sun already began to set painting the sky orange.

"We should stop soon and make camp," Conan suggested, getting the others to agree.

They soon got off the road they were walking on and found themselves a good grassy clearing. Their extra belongings such as bags and sleeping bags lay next to them as they gathered around a fire in the now dark sky, cooking some of the food they brought.

Female Knight soon spoke up. "I must say, Conan, you seem to be skilled in a multitude of weapons. Wielding effectively two different kinds of swords and a battle-axe, it is usually hard for someone to master only one."

Conan swallowed some cooked meat that he was chewing before responding. "Believe me, when you go through as many battles and professions as I have, you need to learn a lot more than you normally would. I trained with my tribe and many masters, bested many as well."

"And just how many professions did you have before this one?"

"Mercenary, captain of the guard, war general, band leader, pirate, mostly things that have to do with combat and profit," Conan said before taking another bite, in a less than sophisticated way.

"Wow, that's quite a résumé," commented Female Martial Artist.

Female Knight also noticed the 'pirate' part of his description, which was a cause of concern since that would label him as a thief and a criminal, though from his behavior during the time he was here he didn't seem to harbor any of those traits so maybe it was a thing of the past.

"And how many… more skills do… you have?" asked Witch, slowly eating her food.

"Well, you all know about my affinity with swords and axes, but I also know how to use knives, spears, bow and arrow, maces. I also know some martial arts."

Female Martial Artist blinked. "Man, you sure have a lot of time on your hands to be able to learn all that."

"Lot of time to learn, and a lot of battlefields to practice," Conan said as he continued eating.

"Heh, if I was one of those gossip girls I would probably brag about how talented you are," Amazon Warrior said as she continued eating in a similar manner to Conan.

"Though, there is one thing I find peculiar," said Conan as he turned towards Heavy Warrior. "That sword. I've never seen any that were build that long and thick. You must have some strength to wield it properly."

Heavy Warrior gave him a smirk. "Well, I do have some enchanted items that enhance my strength. For example, this ring, these braces and these gloves add to my strength. Makes me capable of wielding it more effectively."

Conan smiled snidely. "You need magic to boost your strength? Hah! I bet I could use that sword as I am!"

Heavy Warrior gave a smirk. "Are you sure about that?"

"Why of course," Conan said before wiping his hand and mouth with some cloth and getting up. "Come, why don't I give it a few test swings? I would sure like to try wielding it."

Heavy Warrior gave him a smirk and got up as well. "Sure, I'd love to see that." And with that, the two moved further down the clearing to get some space.

The four women watched the two men go away to practice.

Female Knight gave a sigh. "What is with men and their need for contests?"

"And what's wrong with that?" Amazon Warrior asked.

"Well, since you are less of a woman than any of us, of course you would seem to understand," Female Knight snidely remarked.

The muscular woman didn't seem to be bothered by the jest. "Oh really? Then how is it that I already have my man and you don't?" Amazon Warrior jested back.

Female Knight's eyes widened and she gained a blush of embarrassment. "What-what are you talking about? Who says I want him?" she asked frustrated as she pointed at Heavy Swordsman who was now watching Conan give his sword a few practice swings, impressed with the man's strength.

The Amazon gave her a smirk. "I never said it was him, now did I?"

Female Knight's blush intensified as she realized she was caught red-handed.

"You know… your previous comment… was uncalled for," commented Witch as she took small bites of her food. "I thought that… a future paladin… would refrain… from such things."

"Bah, don't worry about it. Jealousy is a human thing. Can't blame her for feeling that," Amazon Warrior said dismissively though Female Knight still looked at the side embarrassingly. She then spotted the two warriors where Heavy Warrior seemed to be showing Conan some moves for his sword.

"Fine then," muttered Female Knight before turning to the Amazon. "I need to ask you something." That got the muscular woman's attention. Her cheeks were once again blushing in embarrassment. "H-how do you... you know… a-attract someone to you?"

That caused the Amazon to smirk. "Grab him. And take him."

That caused the Female Knight's eyes to blink rapidly at the response and even Female Martial Artist choked on her food a bit. "G-grab him? A-and t-t-take him?"

Amazon Warrior snapped her fingers. "Like that."

After a few moments, Female Martial Artist broke the silence. "Well, this is getting really awkward." She slowly took a sip of her water.

"That's a… crude way of… doing it," said Witch while looking at her rival.

"It's simple and effective. Far better than all that complicated nonsense so many girls go through with," Amazon Warrior said to Witch before winking at her. "I mean, it worked for us didn't it?"

Witch then cleared her throat. "I never did… anything like that."

"Well, he did come after you first, but the principle is the same."

"I assure you… it's not that… simple-"

"Now what's all this chatter about?" came the voice as the four women saw the two men have just returned.

"Oh, don't worry about it," said Amazon Warrior dismissively. "It was just 'girl talk', as they call it."

"Hah! And here I thought that you were a woman who is beyond these usual women gossips," Conan commented.

"Oh come on, I'm not completely opposite of usual women. No one is completely unique."

"Fine, keep your secrets," Conan said as he once again sat down along with Heavy Warrior.

"So, how did that sword practice go?" asked Female Martial Artist.

The rest of the night went by peacefully, with only Female Knight's mind going through a dilemma of Amazon Warrior's advice.

* * *

Several days later they arrived at their destination and found themselves in front of the cave entrance at the base of a mountain.

"So, this is the place where the others disappeared," Conan said as he examined the entrance. "Any of you think the culprits might be goblins?" he said in a joking manner.

"Hardly. Even if there were hobgoblins, silver and bronze ranked would be able to take them. And we would have been notified if there were goblins by the villagers. They usually make their presence known," explained Heavy Swordsman. He may not be knowledgeable on goblins as Goblin Slayer was but even he knew how they operated. He then readied his sword. "Let's go, but be careful. Who knows what we could encounter."

Getting affirmative responses from the others they went inside. Conan held a torch while Witch used light magic to illuminate the room.

As they walked they didn't notice anything unusual right away. Usually, the creature, or creatures, that reside in such places would appear by now to check on intruders. But still no response.

Conan was examining the tunnel form all sides to see if there were any clues. The tunnel was pretty spacious, if Conan was twice as tall he wouldn't be able to touch the ceiling. Plenty of room not to hinder any movement.

They walked for a little while longer before Conan noticed something. "Hold!" he exclaimed causing them to stop and look at him. Conan kneeled down and looked at sever dark red splotches on the ground, which were obviously blood. He touched them with his finger but only felt roughness. "It's dry. Whoever this blood belonged to is probably long gone."

"No surprise there," commented Female Knight. "Though, this could be an indication that we are getting close to whatever is responsible for this."

As Conan rose up he noticed something else. He looked above him to see a sizable hole in the ceiling, right above the dried blood. "I don't suppose those are natural in these caves," he said as he pointed above him.

The rest of them looked up and saw what Conan was pointing at. Realization suddenly came upon them as they got shocked looks on their faces.

"This is not good," said Female Martial Artist with nervousness obvious in her voice.

"What do you mean?" asked Conan, wondering what could have all of them so nervous. Then he suddenly felt some vibrations beneath his feet. He kneeled down and pressed his hand on the ground to get a better feel for the vibrations. He could feel them coming from something strange, something that seemed to… move through the ground. And that suddenly turned in their direction causing Conan's eyes to widen. "MOVE BACK!"

They immediately followed the warning and, along with Conan, jumped back quite a distance as the ground they previously stood on burst open as a creature appeared from the newly created hole in the ground. It had rocks covering its body, centipede-like legs at its sides, a single red eye located above a large mouth with huge stone-like teeth. The mouth was open, revealing several rows of teeth located at the where the mouth meets the throat.

"Crom' devils! What is that thing?!" Conan asked as he gazed upon the monstrous creature in front of him. He saw many creatures in his life but never such a creature he thought existed.

"A Rock Eater!" answered Amazon Warrior while readying her axe, the others following her example.

The Rock Eater then hurled itself into the hole in the ceiling that was already made, getting out of sight of the adventurers.

"Don't be too loud. The creature could hear you and attack," Heavy Warrior whispered to Conan as they slowly walked away from their previous positions, probably knowing that the Rock Eater could remember where they've previously been. Conan did the same thing, not wanting to be eaten by that stone monster.

"This is not good. We should retreat and get back up," said Female Martial Artist, knowing full well what these creatures were capable.

"So we flee like cowards?" growled Conan but still in a low tone as to not get the monster's attention. He turned to Witch who was near him. "Can't you use your fire magic on the holes? It should lead towards the beast."

Witch shook her head. "It's not… that easy. It's too much… for me to… cover all the… tunnels it dug up. Even if I… reached it… it's covered with… rock skin. Fire wouldn't… hurt it."

Conan grumbled in annoyance. This thing really had to be so complicated. They were fighting an enemy they can scarcely hurt and hardly reach because it can dig tunnels. They needed a proper opportunity to strike.

Conan slowly put his hand on the wall, trying to feel for any vibrations let out by the stone monster. And he was able to find them. He could feel the creature's movements through cave rock. They weren't frantic or quick, but slow. As if it was preparing to attack.

The rest of the party were tense, sweat trickling down their brows as they stood alert for any sign of the creature. Conan still focused on the creature's movements. It seemed to be going underneath them. He slowly rose his hand, ready to give a signal if need be. But the creature just continued to move.

Conan then slowly walked over to the other side of the wall and put his hand on it, trying to once again get a better grasp on feeling the Rock Eater's actions. The creature suddenly stopped and turned upwards. Conan's eyes widened, realizing that while the creature didn't know where they were exactly it would at least try to guess. The creature was now turned towards their direction and Conan took a guess where it would go exactly.

He turned towards the group to see which would be in the line of attack. He saw that most of them would be safe, except for one. He looked at Female Martial Artist who looked around and with caution, she was in that line. Conan suddenly felt a lot bigger vibrations. The creature was on the move!

"WATCH OUT!" Conan screamed as he ran over to the red-haired woman, who only looked at him in shock, and also catching the attention of others. The moment he closed the distance he pushed the woman away causing her to yelp as the wall behind him burst open, revealing the jaws of the Rock Eater. He could only stare for a millisecond before the jaws shut tight around him.

"NO!" Amazon Warrior yelled as she saw the Rock Eater swallowing Conan. The others also looking horrified at what happened.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Heavy Warrior bellowed out as he got ready to fight the Rock Eater which was now in the open as it stood up.

However, all of them were surprised to see that the Rock Eater wasn't turning towards them, just stopped with its head in mid-air. They also saw that it was twitching. They soon realized why.

The jaws of the beast weren't clamped shut completely. And they were slowly opening up. They saw that Conan was still there, within the mouth of the Rock Eater. He held the creature's mouth open with his mighty arms and legs, though the space he was in was so limited he was forced to squat and his sword was laying on the ground. He was placed between the front teeth and those from behind, but those back teeth were nicking his chainmail. Sweat was streaming down his brow from the pressure produced by the creature's jaws but he wasn't relenting. "You'll find… I'm not such… an easy snack, beast," he growled out.

The rest of them stood there shocked, never seeing anyone do such a thing. Heavy Swordsman recovered quickly from his shock. "Alright, this is our chance!" He exclaimed as he quickly took out a strength potion and downed it. He took the remaining two out and threw them to Amazon Warrior and Female Martial Artist. "We should attack all at once! It's distracted so it won't notice us coming but after the first strike we have to act quick!"

He then gave a yell, ran up towards the creature and struck with his sword on its side, actually cutting through the rock-like skin as several of its legs and drawing blood from it from all the strength increase he got, making the creature cry out in pain. He fought this type of creature before but even years after he still remembered the limits and the proper amount of strength to bypass them.

The Amazon Warrior also struck but she aimed for its front, slicing through and drawing blood. Female Martial Artist then jumped and kicked the creature at the side of its head, kicking away some of the rock skin. The damage once again making the creature yell in pain.

Conan's eyes saw the commotion but he could focus too much on it since the stone monster still had him within its jaws and couldn't jump out without at least losing a leg since it would quickly close its mouth. He then saw one of the tunnels through the open mouth. Knowing what the creature planned, one of his hands let go of the upper jaw, since the creature's grip loosened from the attacks, and grabbed the dagger he sheathed in his boot. Pulled out the dagger and stabbed downward, the monster may be covered in stone on the outside but on the inside was pure flesh and blood. The surprise attack once again made the creature cry out, and Conan had to slightly cringe since it had really bad breath.

He then proceeded to repeatedly stab the monster from the inside, making the creature trash around and the others to back away from it. The Rock Eater slammed his head into a wall, as trying to get rid of the pesky creature within its jaws.

The rest of the group was actually grinning. This was going better than they thought it would. Last time it took dozens of adventurers to take one of these things down but now it seemed that luck was on their side. They were hurting the Rock Eater quite effectively, and it was impossible for it to focus since it was attacked by Conan on the inside and by them on the outside.

Heavy Swordsman once again landed an attack on it, slashing through rock and flesh.

"Magic Missile!" Witch yelled out as she shot a magic beam at the creature, hitting it near the head.

Amazon Warrior once again slashed it with her axe and once again drawing blood.

Female Martial Artist delivered a strong kick to its front making it lean down.

Female Knight then stabbed at one of the weaker points and pierced through with her sword.

Then they suddenly stopped as they saw the monster's mouth twitching heavily. They saw Conan opening it even more than before. His muscles were strained, beads of sweat adorning his head, blood from the creature on his arm, leg and some on his side. He started to forcibly open the creature's mouth to its limits. They expected him to get out but he remained there.

He pushed with all of his might, the Rock Eater's grip loosened enough. He decided to finish the creature right there. So he pushed, his squatting position slowly turning to a standing one with how much he opened the mouth. The monster tried to clamp down once again but Conan persisted and kept pushing.

And with an inhuman howl, Conan used all of his strength and pushed the jaws as far as he could. The rocks at the creature's sides breaking, flesh being slowly torn, blood splattered out of its mouth. The sides of Rock Eater's head spreading apart as remains of rocks and blood fell to the ground, tearing the tendons and bone beneath, Conan tore the creature's mouth apart way beyond its limits. He then completely stood up in its mouth, splitting the creatures head in two between the jaws as he was showered with blood spurting from around him.

The stone monster stopped whatever movements it had and fell on the ground, dead as the rocks that covered its body, as red blood leaked from its forcibly lengthened mouth. Conan emerged from it, heavily panting and being head-to-toe covered in blood. He put his hands on his knees for support as heavy breaths left his body.

He looked up and saw the five of them look at him, their eyes widened and mouths open in shock.

Conan gave out a chuckle and wiped some blood that started to go into his eyes. "Well. At least… that's finished," he said but the response he got was just silence.

"U-um…" muttered out Female Martial Artist. "I think that… he's going to need a bath."

* * *

The sound of tankards clanging together could be heard with an inn.

"To our victory!" exclaimed Amazon Warrior as the rest of her team repeated and they drank from their tankards.

The other people within that inn also did the same thing as they cheered for the people who saved them from that monster.

After the fight was over, the five adventurers congratulated Conan on actually killing the Rock Eater, which in the Amazon's case was giving him a huge kiss on the lips, though it was also because she thought for a moment that he was good as gone but she was happy he wasn't, much to Witch's annoyance.

They arrived at the village where Conan requested to take a bath from all the blood that was covering him. After taking a bath, he still needed to change his clothes so he was provided with a regular blue shirt and brown pants, which were harder to find since the villagers didn't really have someone his size and build. After that, he was told to meet his companions at a local inn where there was a celebration held.

And there he was, sitting at a table with the rest of his party as they celebrated their victory. Even Witch joined in in drinking despite the fact she didn't really drink alcohol.

"Conan, that was quite the quest we had today. One which I doubt I'll forget," Heavy Warrior said with a smile on his face before reaching with his tankard. "And here's to many more in the future. I look forward to working with you further."

Conan then clanged his own tankard together with Heavy Warrior's as they took a drink. But Conan then suddenly paused and actually thought about what Heavy Warrior said, and just ended up looking at his drink for a moment.

"Hmm." Amazon Warrior noticed Conan's pause. "Is everything alright?"

Conan was then snapped from his thoughts and he looked at her. He then gave a smile. "Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking about some things." He then took a drink from his tankard before putting it on the table. And for a moment, his smile faltered. "Just fine," Conan muttered to himself, which was unheard by others from all the noise that was produced by other people celebrating.

* * *

At a faraway place, the wizard was working his magic within a dark room. In his hand, he held a black crystal ball while the other hand was held above it. The wizard muttered some magic incantations as wisps of purple mist came from his hand into the crystal ball. After a minute of doing his magic, the mist stopped and the crystal ball glowed purple for a brief moment.

The wizard then gave a smile, his spell a complete success. "Shevatas!" he called out and not too long after the dark-skinned thief came into the room where the wizard was located.

The thief, now named Shevatas, gave a bow. "What is it, master?"

"My experiment is complete," he said as he showed the thief his crystal ball. "Here is the tool you will be needing. And get our dear captain as well. I have a special mission for you."

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of that. This chapter finally came back to Conan. I hope the action was to your liking.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	14. 13 Steps further

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Well, this took quite a bit longer than usual to upload. Well, that's life for you. **

**Now to reviews.**

**ZILLAFAN: No, I won't. I try to keep it more to the books and comics rather than the movies. **

**Dracus6: Well, I did have something similar in mind. And I'll try my best.**

**Guest: And something that can fight back XD**

**The Dungeon Crawler: Why thank you! And, I'm not sure what you're trying to say with that.**

* * *

13 Steps further

Conan and his temporary party were returning back from their mission. After the celebration, they packed the next morning and were on their way back to the Adventurer's Guild, with a pretty big farewell from the villagers for saving them from that monster. Conan also had his old clothes put in a bag, so he can carry it back.

They once again made a stop in the middle of traveling and lit a campfire for the night. They sat in a circle around the campfire and talked about the mission.

"So, Conan, how are you feeling?" asked Heavy Swordsman.

"Well, I'm still a bit sore from that ordeal," answered Conan as he gave a small stretch with his arm. "Ripping open the mouth of that thing was one of the most challenging things I've done, I must admit."

"Though we have to admit, that really made our job easier," said Female Knight. "Usually those things would burrow underground if they couldn't continue attacking or were in danger, and that would have made the fighting a lot more complicated. Thankfully, you were in an optimal position to keep the Rock Eater in place during the fight, as unconventional as it was."

"I honestly can't wait to tell the rest of the Guild what happened," said Female Martial Artist with a grin on her face. "I can already imagine their reactions already, on how the Rock Eater died 'cause it had a big mouth." That statement gained laughter from them. Though, Conan stopped laughing after a few moments and gained a sort of a faraway look on his face, something that Witch noticed.

Soon the laughing died down. "Excuse me," Conan said while getting up. "I need to walk for a few minutes, to stretch the soreness out of me." He then walked away from the group.

"You know," Amazon Warrior began. "I'm not certain that was the only reason."

"Neither am… I," Witch spoke up as she got up as well. "I'm going to… follow him and… have a talk. I'm sure he… needs one." She then gave Amazon Warrior a small look, which the muscular woman understood immediately and gave Witch a nod. She nodded back and went to follow Conan.

Conan then walked further from the clearing until the campfire seemed like a small spark. He then gave a deep sigh and his palm found its way to his face. He wondered what he was doing. He knew he was going to leave this continent and go back to his old one. Yet here he is, making friends with the Adventurer's Guild members, and starting relationships with women here.

He had only himself to blame. His usual habits got the better of him, his celebrations, drinking, sleeping with women, getting comrades in fighters, going on quests to make money and bonding through them. Yet it wasn't going to last.

He pondered on the possibility of staying on this continent, but he knew he had to go back to his home continent. His tribe was still there, in Cimmeria. Sure, he got wanderlust and walked away but they were still his people. What about all the allies he had there? Wouldn't they expect his return, his assistance in their time of need?

And yet here he was. Making friends, allies, and lovers, yet knowing that he will go back with many tears and broken hearts by the end of it being left behind. And his mind went to Goblin Slayer. He has grown fond of the young man during his time here. Like him, Goblin Slayer was a warrior, a fighter for survival. He had the fighting spirit but was misguided in his way of achieving things. If Conan left, then what would become of him? Would he revert back to his way of only having goblins on his mind?

And what if he couldn't return? What if there was no way to come back?

Conan gave a grumble in frustration. It was honestly a 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' situation. Why did his life have to be more complicated than it already was? Were the gods really testing him, despite lacking any worship? If so, then it would make sense since gods being involved in your life usually ends up complicating things.

"Something's… on your mind," came the voice of Witch behind him. It didn't sound like a question as much as a matter-of-fact statement. He turned and saw Witch looking at him with her regular smile.

"I just needed a walk. That's all," Conan responded.

"You don't have… to hide it," Witch said as her lips went from a smile to a thin line. She then moved closer to him until there was not much distance between them and looked him in the eyes. "Tell me, what… is bothering you? And don't lie… I can tell."

Conan gave a dry chuckle. "Of course you could. And not from magic either," he muttered. "Fine, its nothing special. Just something personal."

"That doesn't mean… it isn't something… special, Conan," she said in a more serious tone. "Personal things can… affect many things… around us. Even things we… don't expect to." She then reached with her hand and put it on his cheek. "So please, tell me. What is… bothering you?"

Conan was silent for a few moments before grabbing her hand and gently putting it away. "I think I'm making a mistake."

Witch cocked an eyebrow at that statement. "And what mistake… might that be?" she asked curiously.

"All of this," Conan said. "If I end up going back to the continent I hail from, then everything I've done here will be left behind me. I'm building relationships which might end up in abandonment. I'm making comrades in people I might never see again. I have to go back to people that might end up needing me, but I'm also abandoning people that are getting close to me." He then put both of his hands on his face and grumbled. "And it's really frustrating. I know life can be complicated, but I wish it wasn't. I wish all of this could end up with everyone happy, but it won't."

"Oh, is that… what's bothering you?" Witch asked before pulling away Conan's hands from his face. She didn't have the physical strength to do it but Conan complied regardless. "And now I… see what your… problem is."

"What are you talking about?"

"From all the… talks with Goblin Slayer… about solving his… issues, you still… have to solve… your own," she said as their gazes met once again and Witch gained her smile back. "And yes, I know… about those. I talk with… him as well."

Conan then gave a sigh. "And what those issues might be?"

"Simple, really. Despite you… telling me you… try to make the… best out of… a bad situation… you think too… negatively about it. You think too… negatively about… a lot of things."

Conan merely scoffed at that. "Is that what you think? I'm just saying as it is."

"No, you're not," Witch responded. "You're saying it… how you see it. That doesn't mean… your worldview is… absolute."

"Oh really? And how exactly do you see it?"

"The way I… see it is… that in this world… there are positives… and negatives. You think that… there are so many… negatives that you… ignore the positives."

"Maybe to you. But I've seen enough things to convince me. War and battle almost everywhere, lords and kings selling their daughters to slavery for more power, betrayal among comrades, violations, and molestation. I've seen it so many times already."

"If you constantly… follow the path… of battle that… is what you'll… always see," Witch said as her eyes gazed softly into Conan's, making the raven-haired barbarian slowly fill with calmness. "You only see… negatives because… that is all… you seek. The thrill of battle… the fighting, negative things… come out of… those things."

Conan shrugged. "That is just the way I am. I like battle and combat. It brings me enjoyment. And if I learn through that, then all the better."

Witch nodded. "Yes, you do… but you also… don't learn anything… else. The stress and… adrenaline fills you… with worry. So much so… you don't appreciate… what you have."

"Well, I'm not-" Conan started but a thought suddenly came to him. His mind came back to one of the women he loved and lost. He remembered the woman, Mala. She was one of the people he was the closest to in his tribe, they were pretty much childhood sweethearts.

He could remember the day he left, taken over by wanderlust and need for action. He could have only guessed how Mala felt when he left. After a while, during one of his journeys, his mind went back to her and realized just how he missed her, her long raven hair and green eyes, how her beauty could beat any woman in Zamora. And when he did return, in hope that starting a life with her would end his journey, he only found that she was kidnapped by the Vanir.

When he eventually found where she was, it was too late. He saw Mala commit suicide so she wouldn't be treated as a slave for some swine from Vanaheim. He could remember the horror, sadness, and rage he felt in that moment, something which wasn't quelled even with killing the man who forced her hand.

He could still see her face in front of him. The lifeless eyes, that innocence of her's forever lost in the void. She was a woman he loved, yet he only remembered her after who knows how many battles, women or tankards of alcohol he had. And in his mind, it cost her her life.

However, the face in front of him started talking to him. And after that, it started morphing. Raven hair turning purple, expression of worry appearing. He finally saw that he was actually looking at Witch. "…nan? Conan? Are you… alright? You're crying."

Conan was caught off guard by that sentence. And he could suddenly feel a lone tear running down his cheek. He quickly wiped it with his hand. "I… it's nothing," Conan said, but the previous words from Witch were still on his mind and the reminder that his wanderlust cost the woman he loved her life.

"No, it isn't. Even a… blind man could… see that," Witch said with a somewhat stern expression but it softened as she reached with her hand and put it on his cheek. "You don't have… to tell me… if you don't… want to. But don't close… your feelings inside. You can only… bottle it so much… before it… boils over." He lips then turned upward into her usual smile. "And neither will… I hide them." She then put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down. She also stood on her toes so she could reach as well, and then she planted a kiss on his lips.

In response, Conan put his arms around her waist and returned the kiss. It really helped Conan calm down and keep his emotions in check. At least for a little while. They stood there like that for about a minute before they pulled back. "Well then. I hope that… you stretched that… soreness away," Witch said in a joking manner. Conan chuckled despite what he felt and nodded.

"And don't worry… about not… being able to… see us again. If you can't… come back to… this continent… then we'll have to… visit yours."

"Really? And how will you be able to find it?" Conan asked.

Witch reached into a small satchel she had and pulled out a piece of paper. The paper had a symbol on it. A red circle with three lines going through the different sides of the circle. "This paper… will help me… track you. It will send… a magical beacon… that I will be… able to track. Extend your… hand." Conan did just that and Witch put the paper on the back of his hand. The symbol started glowing for a moment. Witch pulled the paper away to reveal that the symbol has gone from the paper to Conan's hand. It glowed for a few moments before disappearing. "There. Now I will… be able to… track you. When you get back… I will use that… symbol to find… your continent. Simple."

Conan looked at the back of his hand where the symbol used to be. "That is… actually really impressive."

"Why, thank you. You see now... why you didn't have... to be so worried... in the first place?" she asked. "Now then… how about we… go back?" Witch said before the two of them returned to their camp.

* * *

The next day, the group came back to Adventurer's Guild. Conan went back to his usual self and the others were glad. It seemed that whatever Witch told him worked.

They currently found themselves at the receptionist's desk, though they made a stop at the blacksmith so Conan could leave his armor to be fixed, and Conan turned to walk to the Guild hall. "You report the mission and give me the money when you're done. I am going to take a seat. Alright?"

They nodded but Amazon Warrior also separated herself from the group. "Not without me you're not. Come on."

When the two of them went for a table, they were suddenly interrupted.

"YOU!"

A familiar exclamation could be heard as Conan turned his head to see a wooden cup flying at him again but this time he caught it in his hand. He then once again saw High Elf Archer going in his direction with a glare on her face and flushed cheeks from alcohol.

Conan gave an annoyed sigh. "Alright, woman, what is it now?"

High Elf Archer once again extended her index finger in his direction. "You bastard, you did it again! Why do you have butt in where you're not needed?!"

Conan was confused for a few moments before recalling what her last tantrum was about. As he thought about it he came to a conclusion that Goblin Slayer actually went through with his advice and spent the night with Cow Girl.

"And what is your problem exactly?" Conan asked and looked around but he couldn't see the other two. "And where are your two companions?"

"They're busy! There is no protecting you from me this time!" High Elf Archer exclaimed as she tried charging at Conan but Conan moved out of the way as she went for a punch before grabbing her by the back of her shirt and lifting her up.

"Alright, now tell me. What exactly did I do wrong now?" Conan asked, confused as to why would Goblin Slayer sleeping with Cow Girl suddenly be a problem for this woman.

High Elf Archer just flailed with her limbs trying to hit him but she couldn't reach. "Because you ended up hooking Goblin Slayer up with someone else! Because of you, I'll never get my chance!"

Conan looked at her confused while Amazon Warrior looked amused. "Man, this too much fun not to see."

Conan's eyes narrowed slightly. "And how exactly does that mean you won't be able to lay with him?"

High Elf Archer started fuming as if this guy was mocking her. "And how exactly would I be able to?! He is already with another woman and I'm certain he isn't a type to cheat! And neither am I for that matter! So what are you blabbering about you big oaf?!"

"So you think that the reason you can't is that he has a woman?" Conan asked somewhat dumbfounded. "And why can't you just join in?"

That question made High Elf Archer hang still on Conan's hand. She looked at him with wide eyes. "W-w-what is t-that supposed to mean? How exactly am I supposed to do that?!" she frantically asked.

"And why wouldn't you be able to be?"

"Umm, Conan," Amazon Warrior called out and got his attention. "You see, there aren't really people here with multiple partners. It's very… uncommon in these parts."

"I see," Conan simply said. "I assumed you could have multiple partners here as well. At least, you can from where I come from." He turned towards High Elf Archer who stopped struggling. "Though perhaps you and Goblin Slayer could make an exception to that rule."

"Y-you can't be serious," said High Elf Archer, not believing what this man was saying. Did he seriously suggest that she, Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl have a polygamous relationship?

"And why not?" Conan asked rhetorically. "Considering how many women like him to me that seems like the best outcome for everyone." He then put High Elf Archer back on the floor.

"U-um… well, I…" High Elf Archer stammered on what to say to that. So Conan just assumed that you can have a polygamous relationship here. The way he suggested is so casually and the way he talked about them it seemed like something more common in his parts. But could she really go through with it?

"Crom, these civilized people still baffle me," Conan muttered to himself. "Look, you go work it out how you wish. I already said what I had to say." Conan then walked away, leaving High Elf Archer to her thoughts.

"You know, you really have a way with people," Amazon Warrior jokingly commented.

"I just gave a simple resolution to a simple problem," Conan answered as he got to a table.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," came the voice of Spearman as he also approached their table. "So, how was that quest you six had?"

"Oh, do we have a story to tell you," Amazon Warrior said before they seated themselves.

After a while, they finished telling Spearman what has transpired during their quest. The rest of the group joined in, having finished with the mission report. By the end of the story, Spearman looked really baffled. "Wow! I… I don't even… A Rock Eater? And you were able to kill it?"

"Heh, I knew we would get a reaction like that from someone," Female Martial Artist said.

"Well, I can't say anything else then… congratulations on killing that monster. That must have quite a fight," Spearman said, now feeling impressed with Conan and the group. "Well, at least that's better than the monkey we had to deal with."

This caused everyone to look at him. "A monkey?" Conan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Spearman then proceeded to explain what happened. How he and Goblin Slayer took a mission together and ended up fighting a creature that no other adventurer heard of before, a two-and-a-half-meter tall gorilla with grey fur, and how they defeated in the end.

The group looked curious with only Conan looking surprised. "Are you saying that you two fought and defeated a Grey Ape?"

All the eyes turned towards Conan. "Wait, you know that creature?" asked Spearman.

"I know of its kind. They inhabit the shores of the Vilayet Sea, a place from my continent. They are known for their great ferocity and strength, quite intelligent as well. Even I would hesitate to outright fight them, so you two taking it down is impressive," Conan explained, getting intrigued looks from others.

Female Knight put her finger on her chin in thought. "So this creature hails from your continent. Do you know how it came here?"

Conan shook his head. "I'm not sure. Unless it was also shipwrecked like me, but I honestly doubt it," Conan said. Though, now that he thought about it, that was yet another creature that he knew but was not from this land has appeared. First that demon and now a Grey Ape? Was there some sort of pattern or was it merely a coincidence? He was getting suspicious about this situation. He turned towards Spearman. "Tell me, where is Goblin Slayer now?"

"Well, he was here about an hour ago, looking for some goblin quests but there weren't any. So he left and went home," Spearman explained.

"I see," Conan said before getting up. "Then I'll go talk with him to hear what he has to say about all this. No offense but you aren't really reliable when it comes to details." That got a chuckle out of then and caused Spearman to slightly grumble.

Before Conan could leave Amazon Warrior spoke up. "Do you even know where Goblin Slayer lives?"

Conan turned back to her with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'll find him."

* * *

Goblin Slayer, who wasn't wearing his armor, was helping Cow Girl with her chores at the farm. Right now he was carrying a crate filled with bottles of milk to the house. He was the stronger of the two so he suggested he did the heavy lifting.

When he put the crate in the house and came back outside, he was met with a surprise. He saw Conan walking on the road towards the house and looking around, seemingly interested in the farm. Conan's gaze then landed on him and he gave him a smile. "So this is very you live? Very… humble to say the least."

"Um, how did you know where I live?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Simple, I followed your tracks to here," Conan explained. "I would have asked but I'm sure you didn't really tell anyone where you live. Am I wrong?" the silence that followed was Conan's response. "And I also heard about the mission you went on. And I'm interested in details about it."

"Hey, what's going on here," Cow Girl's uncle said as he saw Goblin Slayer standing near the door frame. He then also spotted Conan. He turned to Goblin Slayer. "Is this man a friend of yours?"

"That's Conan, the one I talked about before," Goblin Slayer explained.

"Oh, so that's him," the middle-aged man said before walking in front of Conan and extending his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I heard that you are the man who helped him open up."

Conan then took the man's hand in a handshake. "Well, it's also nice to meet someone who tolerates his antics." That actually caused the uncle to smile.

Then Cow Girl came, seeing the group gathered. She then spotted the man she hasn't seen in a while. "Hello there, sir Conan!" she exclaimed getting Conan's attention. "It's nice that you paid a visit to our home. Will you be staying long?"

Conan gave her a smile before shaking his head. "Sorry, I wasn't really planning on it. I just needed to talk to Goblin Slayer for something important."

Cow Girl blinked. "Oh, I see. Well, that's a shame. But if you change your mind, then you're more than welcome to join us at dinner. Right uncle?"

The man just shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Thanks for the hospitality, but there is really something I need to discuss with Goblin Slayer," Conan said as he turned to the white-haired young man. "And I think in private might be best."

Goblin Slayer gave a nod before turning towards his landlord. "May I be excused for a few minutes?"

The man, seeing this situation was serious, gave him a nod and the two of them walked to a secluded spot to talk.

* * *

Cow Girl's uncle was getting curious. Conan and Goblin Slayer had talked for a while now. He was really wondering what they were discussing since Goblin Slayer isn't really much for talking, as far as he knew.

In the end, curiosity got the better of him and he decided to check on the two. "Niece, I'm taking a walk, so don't be surprised if you see me gone."

"Alright then!" he heard Cow Girl answer.

He then walked away to where Conan and Goblin Slayer were located, which was behind the house and near a tree, a good distance so they wouldn't be disturbed.

When he got there he saw the two of them standing in the shade of the tree, still talking. He got closer to them, their backs were turned so they probably didn't see him coming, which was honestly something he planned for. He hoped to hear what they were talking about.

When he got close enough he was able to make out what they were saying. "… the sword ended up being useful after all?" he heard Conan say.

"Yeah, it gave me more cutting power and area of damage. Not sure if my shortsword would have been able to hurt the Grey Ape," Goblin Slayer said.

Conan grinned at that. "Well, then it's a good thing I got it for you, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Thank you for that," Goblin Slayer answered. "By the way, there is… something I need to ask."

"Ask away then," Conan said.

"You see… um… do you remember Guild Girl?" Goblin Slayer asked, making Cow Girl's uncle blink at the question.

"Yes, I do. What about her?"

"Well, she… you see… she asked to go to the Harvest Festival with her. And… well… since I'm with Cow Girl, I'm not sure if I should accept," Goblin Slayer explained. "And you're more knowledgeable about these kinds of things. So I'm asking you, what should I do?"

Now the uncle was completely baffled. He couldn't believe the words that came out of Goblin Slayer's mouth. Was he really asking this man for dating advice?

"Ah, I see the girl finally made her move," Conan commented. "Now, in my opinion, this is what you have to do. You will accept her offer and go to that festival. But make sure you talk with Cow Girl about this first."

"Are you sure?" Goblin Slayer asked getting a nod from Conan. "Then, thank you very much."

Conan gave him a smile and gave him a small pat on the shoulder. "Believe, that wasn't much."

The uncle looked at the scene stunned. The way those two were talking seemed like he was looking at a teenager getting parental advice. But now that he thought about it, Goblin Slayer did lose his parents when he was very young. Perhaps he sees Conan as some sort of father-figure to him. And from what he got, Conan was the one who got him the sword and trained him how to use it.

If he was honest, that thought brought a smile to his face. It seemed that a parental figure was what the young man needed. He was starting to feel shame that it wasn't him and that their relationship didn't go past landlord and boarder, having written Goblin Slayer off as insane. Though another adventurer would have a better understanding of the situation, he supposed.

"Hey, you two!" the uncle called out getting their attention. "We'll start making dinner soon. Are you coming!"

Conan just gave a shrug at that. "Sure, why not?" he said before turning towards Goblin Slayer. "Are you coming?"

Goblin Slayer gave a slight smile and nodded. "Yeah."

With that, the two headed off towards the house with Cow Girl's uncle going with them, a smile still present on his face.

* * *

**AN: And that is it! This chapter was focused more on character development than anything else, but I hope that you were entertained.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	15. 14 Calm Before the Storm

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: I'm so very sorry for making you all wait so long for this chapter. It wasn't my intention but I had to take some exams and those were a priority. But they are done for a while and now I can focus more on my writing. And here is the next installment of my first story, The Stranded Barbarian. Hope you enjoy!**

**Now to reviews!**

**H20 Ferrum Dominus: Thank you for all the compliments. I hope I continue to please.**

**Dracus6: I do, though I only got the light novels fairly recently and I only finished the first 3 volumes.**

**Zealot24: Well, harems aren't really all that common but that doesn't mean they don't happen. Goblin Slayer will be just one of the special cases. And I'm not sure about Conan hooking Spearman up with someone, he does it with Goblin Slayer because he was a special case. For all Conan knows, Spearman can get a girl himself.**

**And thanks.**

**Guest: Well not literally, he just sees him as a parent figure, even if he doesn't realize it.**

**Guest(2): I hoped it would be shocking.**

**Guest(3): That's a nice idea, but no. Set isn't a god who would do such a thing. From what I've seen only his high priests get to perform magic, but their followers don't get anything. I honestly think I might have pushed a bit too far with Set actually appearing since he doesn't really do that.**

**Silverscale: Thank you for the compliment. I honestly didn't expect for this to end up in anyone's top hundred, much less twenty.**

* * *

14 Calm Before the Storm

The sounds of clashing steel permeated the Guild training ground. Conan and Goblin Slayer were engaged in the saber practice, which became something more often during the past week.

Goblin Slayer moved away from a slash, only a few centimeters from his chest. He was dressed in his casual clothes, unlike the first time where they started mid-day, their routines began in the morning. He swung at Conan who responded by a parry. That put Goblin Slayer's sword off course long enough for Conan to move his sword in a position where the tip of the blade was pointed at Goblin Slayer's chest.

Goblin Slayer stopped his advances due to the position he was in, with the tip of the blade close to his chest. It made his movement very limited since he couldn't move forward and the blade kept him away from Conan. He then tried to slash at Conan's wrist but the barbarian just gave a twitch and moved the wrist out of the way before it came back. Goblin Slayer tried it several times to no avail, getting Conan to smirk.

"You might want to consider another strategy," Conan taunted.

Goblin Slayer thought about it for a moment, before diving to the side and slashing at Conan's legs. The Cimmerian moved out of the way before getting a downward strike at Goblin Slayer who blocked the attack and went for a slash of his own, which ended in the two of them exchanging strikes and blocks before they ended up away from each other, with Goblin Slayer panting and some sweat coming down his head while Conan wasn't all that winded but still had some sweat coming from him.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Conan said as he put down his saber, causing Goblin Slayer to relax and put away his weapon as well.

The two of them went to the benches on the training ground and each took their own canteen of water to quench their thirst.

"So tell me," Conan said as he finished drinking. "What missions have you been doing lately?"

Goblin Slayer closed his canteen. "Well, I went on a quest with Heavy Warrior and Spearman to kill a dark wizard. Orders from the King," he said getting Conan to look at him curiously.

"The King, eh? Must have been some mission," Conan commented. "I only got standard missions, trolls and such. Was the wizard any trouble?"

"Well, he did cast a ritual which made him invulnerable to people who speak words, so we threw him off a tower," he said getting a laugh from Conan.

"And I assume you're the one who suggested it?" Conan asked getting a nod from the white-haired youth. "Good to hear you putting your mind to good use." Both of them grabbed their equipment and were ready to leave but Conan remembered something. "What about that Harvest Festival? Isn't it tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Goblin Slayer said. "I'll be taking Cow Girl first before Guild Girl."

"Ah, I see you were able to come to an arrangement in the end. Play your cards right and in the end, you'll end up with both," Conan said with a smile on his face, proud to see how far Goblin Slayer has come through.

Goblin Slayer blushed at Conan's words. "I'm not sure if that's the best course," Goblin Slayer said, still not really comfortable with the idea. Sure, he agreed to Guild Girl's request for a date but it was more of politeness. The talk with Cow Girl was a bit awkward but Conan was there to help him with that and they were able to convince her.

"Why not? You've proved to be able to handle more than one woman," Conan said causing Goblin Slayer's blush to slightly deepen. "If you want, we can try out to see if you can handle even more than two."

That made Goblin Slayer's eyes widen a bit. "That… that won't be necessary," he stammered out.

Conan shook his head, still not seeing the problem. He didn't get these women's obsessions with first kisses or first times like it was supposed to be something special. Wouldn't you want to have someone more experienced for better pleasure? And if you can handle more women, then why can't you take more? The stricter monogamy of this land didn't really make sense to him.

But he didn't want to bother Goblin Slayer too much with it. He was already more or less broken out of his shell, so it wasn't all that necessary to pester him too much about it.

"Though, there is one thing that concerns me," Goblin Slayer said getting Conan's attention. "On the last goblin mission I went, goblins were pretty well equipped. Armor and proper weapons. It was very unusual."

Conan patted him on the shoulder. "You'll have plenty of time to think about it later. Right now, you have two women to attend to, so you better prepare. From what I know they can be really sensitive," Conan said, not wanting the young man's mind to suddenly go to goblins.

Goblin Slayer just gave him a nod. Conan was probably right and he was too concerned. He packed his things and walked away from the training ground.

As Conan also began to leave, the familiar sight of Witch came into view. She stood near the entrance with her usual pipe and a smile on her face.

Conan then returned her smile. "Is there something you need from me?"

"Well, I don't think that… we spend enough time… together," she said as she looked up towards Conan's face. "And I think… that tomorrow's festival… would be a good… opportunity. What do you… say?"

Conan gave it a thought. Normally he wasn't one for such formal festivals, he wasn't really interested. Usually, he would just find a tavern, buy himself a drink and find a woman or two to bed. He didn't think there was anything special. On the other hand, he really didn't spend that much time with Witch, actually spending a lot more time with Amazon Warrior, who he was sure was aware of his status with Witch. Perhaps he could attend the festival for more bonding.

"Alright then. Count me in," Conan said making Witch smile wider.

"I'm glad," she said before grabbing Conan behind the neck bringing him down for a kiss. After a few moments, they stopped. "See you tomorrow. You don't have to dress too formally, just so you know."

* * *

Up high in the heavenly plain of existence, several figures stand in front of a table with wooden figurines carved in the shapes of Goblin Slayer and Conan on one side, while the other side has three other figures with one being carved into the shape of a robed wizard with a hood covering his head.

One of those figures was Set, who stood at one side of the table, still in his humanoid form, with his arms crossed and an arrogant grin adorning his face. He looked over at the opposite side of the table where his rival stood.

"Well, Mitra, it would seem that your champion made a mistake. One that could cost him quite a bit if he is not careful. My champion just may not need to take him on directly after all," he spoke arrogantly, but his rival just ignored him and focused on the events happening, making Set scoff in annoyance.

One of the other deities, less defined but still having body features that make it obvious it was a female, decided to speak up. "Perhaps we could use our dice to tip things into-"

"No," interrupted Mitra, his voice deep and strict. "No alterations." The female deity, or Illusion as she was known, just gave a put.

Another deity, a male this time, also known as Truth, also decided to chime in. "But it's in our nature to use dice to try and determine the fates of these people. Your wager seemed fun at first but it's taking so long. We are honestly bored without it."

Set scowled at them. For deities, they sure acted like children. "You agreed to this, and now you'll follow through it. Such is the divine law. What's done is done, and you can't back away now. Or are you willing to risk the consequences of breaking your word to us?" Set said in a threatening tone. The deal was that they couldn't use their normal ways to affect the outcome, and even affecting non-related events could have alterations on the wager so they put the dice away.

Set wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste just because some childish gods were getting bored.

Truth just sighed. "Fine, we won't interfere. But the moment this is done we're coming back."

Then they continued to watch the events below, eager to see the results.

* * *

The next day at the festival, Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl found themselves walking through the busy street, with Cow Girl being dressed in a beautiful blue dress which was made of fabrics of light blue, dark blue and white colors, with several ribbons at her hips and a matching blue hat with a ribbon. Goblin Slayer was dressed in his casual clothes, recently being more comfortable doing that, and his saber strapped to his hip, with Conan's advice saying that it didn't hurt to at least have a weapon with you.

Cow Girl's dress actually caught eyes of quite a few people, since it made her look like some sort of noble. Goblin Slayer, on the other hand, didn't draw that much attention since without his armor he looked pretty regular.

They stopped at several locations, like some shops that sold special sweets like caramel apples. They even went on a contest where Goblin Slayer had to throw balls into a frog's mouth and won them some lemonades. He also bought her a ring, which was more or less a toy causing him to be embarrassed since she reminded him that she only had those when they were young, but she accepted it nonetheless.

They eventually found themselves standing on a bridge, looking at the river below. Cow Girl was resting on her arms with a smile on her face while Goblin Slayer stood next to her.

"Was today to your liking so far?" Goblin Slayer asked.

Cow Girl turned towards him. "Why of course. It was great."

"Still, sorry that I'm also-" Goblin Slayer began to talk but was interrupted by Cow Girl giving him a peck on the cheek.

"You don't have to apologize for anything," said Cow Girl before pulling him in a hug. "I completely understand your position. We even got an agreement. If you think I'm angry then don't."

Goblin Slayer stood there for a moment before smiling and returning the hug. Cow Girl was really one the greatest and most kind-hearted people he knew, even agreeing on him spending some time with Guild Girl. In his mind, he didn't deserve her. Or probably any other of the women that were after him. But that doesn't mean he wasn't going to give his best to make sure everyone was happy.

All this time of him fighting goblins made himself emotionally detached from her to some extent, something he was grateful to Conan for pointing out to him. But that emotional wall was broken, and now they spend time together a lot more, Cow Girl even openly showing signs of her affection while at the farm. Though he was honestly expecting her uncle to be more against that, but that didn't appear to be the case.

"Hey, lovebirds!" came a voice from below, a familiar male voice, causing the two to disengage the hug and look down. They saw Female Knight and Heavy Warrior together in a boat riding on the river. The two were dressed in more casual clothes instead of their battle gear. They were also looking up towards Cow Girl and Goblin Slayer and waved at them. Cow Girl and Goblin Slayer smiled and waved back as the two passed on the boat.

The busty redhead looked towards her boyfriend. "Those two are together? Since when?"

Goblin Slayer then got a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, it went something like this."

* * *

_Goblin Slayer, dressed in armor though without the helmet, walked to the arms and armor shop of the Adventurer's Guild to look for some useful equipment for his next goblin quest, which were actually still lacking, or any other quest he might pick up._

_When he entered he saw Female Knight looking at the display of what people would consider bikini armor. It barely covered anything except for the private parts and it did have some shoulder guards, but Goblin Slayer didn't really see too much usefulness in it._

_Out of curiosity, he approached Female Knight. "Are you planning on wearing that?"_

_Female Knight shook for a moment in surprise before turning back towards Goblin Slayer, which made him notice she sported a blush on her cheeks._

_"Oh! Well… it's nothing really," she said before looking back the armor, obviously embarrassed at the prospect of actually wearing it. "I'm just… considering my options."_

_Goblin Slayer raised an eyebrow at that statement. "That armor doesn't really seem to be something you would actually wear. So why the sudden interest?" he asked. He knew what style the woman preferred, he saw her spar and on a mission, and that type of armor definitely didn't compliment it one bit._

_Female Knight gave a sigh. "Well, you see…" she then proceeded to explain to him about her feelings for Heavy Warrior and about her insecurities on the matter. Usually, such romantic feelings would end up in the way of proper teamwork and it isn't really encouraged. And with that, male adventurers usually end up married with some town girl or a princess they saved, so her worries weren't really unwarranted. _

_"I see," Goblin Slayer responded in his usual manner. "But, what about the armor? Do you plan to use it to get his attention?" Female Knight once again blushed before nodding, somewhat in shame since that idea probably wasn't the best one. "Well, you're already attractive. Isn't that enough?" That caused Female Knight to look up at him and blink, being caught off guard at the compliment._

_"Oh? Why, thank you," she said somewhat shyly since she didn't get those compliments all that often. "But I'm sure that is enough. I mean, this Guild has many female adventurers, some definitely more attractive than I am."_

_Goblin Slayer then rubbed his chin. He wasn't the expert on the matter so he should think about what advice he should give since this matter was really delicate. _

_"Am I interrupting something?" came the familiar voice of Amazon Warrior. They saw her standing at the entrance with her muscular arms crossed, not carrying her axe at the moment. The amazon then saw that Female Knight was standing in front of some very light armor before giving her a smirk. "You know, I never figured you for that type of gal."_

_Female Knight once again looked embarrassed before shaking her head. "Look, it isn't like that! I'm just… well…"_

_"She's trying to impress Heavy Warrior with her body," Goblin Slayer said causing Female Knight to freeze in place and Amazon Warrior to surprisingly look confused._

_"W-wha… you… wha… You didn't have to say it like that!" Female Knight exclaimed with a heavy blush on her face._

_"Uh, sorry," Goblin Slayer said while rubbing the back of his head. He probably could have worded that differently._

_"Really?" Amazon Warrior said while looking disapprovingly at Female Knight. "You still didn't do it?"_

_Female Knight now looked irritated. "Look, it isn't that simple! I can't just come up to him and say 'Hey, you wanna screw!' and actually expect him to agree."_

_"Oh, don't give me that 'it's not that simple' shit! The problem is that you lack a backbone. You don't need some revealing armor to impress the guy!"_

_Goblin Slayer just stood there, not sure how to respond or react in such a situation._

_"Like you're the one to talk! Just look at what you're wearing!" Female Knight exclaimed while gesturing at Amazon Warrior's clothing. "It seemed to work pretty well for you!"_

_The muscular woman gave a scoff. "Oh please, if my outfit was the reason Conan was with me he would have left me like some common street whore after a while. No, I took the initiative and we got together!"_

_"That's different! Conan is a womanizer, of course, he would take a woman who throws herself at him!" Female Knight retorted back._

_Amazon Warrior growled at annoyance at her companion's stubbornness. "Fine then," she said before storming out the shop._

_"Ugh! She can be so unbearable at times," Female Knight said while rubbing her face in annoyance. "Well, at least she won't be bothering me for a-" she told Goblin Slayer but stopped when she saw that he wasn't beside her anymore. She then saw him standing at the entrance of the shop, looking at something._

_Goblin Slayer then turned to her. "She is talking to Heavy Warrior right now," he said while pointing somewhere with his index finger._

_That caused Female Knight to go into panic mode. She hurried over towards the door and looked at the direction Goblin Slayer was pointing and saw that Amazon Warrior was indeed talking with Heavy Warrior. He looked at her for a moment in shock before saying something that sounded to Female Knight like 'She what?!' before actually looking in her direction. _

_Female Knight radiated red color from how much embarrassment she felt right now, with her secret now obviously out._

* * *

"And after that, they ended up talking with each other in private. It seems it turned out well," Goblin Slayer finished explaining the story.

Cow Girl just looked at him with a slightly shocked expression and she just stood there, blinking for a couple of moment. Eventually, her mouth started to twitch before she burst out laughing. Goblin Slayer stood there for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

Cow Girl's laughter eased down, and she wiped a few tears away from her eyes. "Oh, my…" she let out a few more snorted giggles. "I guess that's one way of getting together. At least they can't beat around the bush anymore."

"Um, yeah, I suppose," Goblin Slayer said.

"Come on," Cow Girl said while grabbing her boyfriend by the arm. "Let's move on and enjoy the festival while we can."

That earned her a nod from Goblin Slayer and they left the bridge.

* * *

In another part of town, Conan and Witch stood in front of a vendor with a cart, giving the two some cups filled with a special treat and small spoons.

"There we go. One ice-cream cup for each," he said as the two of them took their cups.

Conan, dressed in regular clothes which consisted of the short-sleeved blue shirt he received from some villagers from before, black short pants and sandals, gave the vendor a few coins for his service.

"Thank you," Witch said, dressed in her usual garb. The two of them then moved away from the vendor and continued walking down the street.

Conan looked for a few moments at the treat, never seeing anything like it before. He then took the spoon in his cup, grabbed a bit of the squishy white treat and put it in his mouth.

"Mmm, this is actually pretty good," Conan said. It was one of the coldest things he had to eat, beaten by the snow and ice he sometimes had to consume to survive, but the taste made it balance out.

"I would have to… agree," Witch said as she ate her own ice-cream. "You don't have anything similar in your land?"

"No, usually some prominent nobles are the ones who have access to sugar, and only they can get any sort of treat made from it. The sweets you have here aren't common on my continent, even I scarcely tasted some of them," Conan explained as he continued eating the ice-cream.

"Oh, that's a… real shame," Witch commented. "At least that's… one bonus for this… continent, isn't it?"

Conan turned to her and gave her an amused smile. He knew she wanted to find more reasons for him to stay here, or at least give him more motivation to eventually return after he goes back to his continent. And it was actually working.

He then looked at the Sun's position and saw that it was already past noon. He then gained a thoughtful look on his face.

"Is something on your… mind?" Witch asked, seeing that his mind went to another place.

"It's nothing. It's about time for Goblin Slayer to take Guild Girl on the festival next."

Witch then gave a chuckle at that. "You know, it's really… amusing to see you… acting like a… concerned father." Conan then gave her a look filled with slight confusion. "Oh, don't tell… me that you didn't… see it. You spend quite a… bit of time… with him. You train him… give him advice… help him with dates… and you even… eased his obsession… with goblins. You're practically… raising him."

Conan just looked away in thought. He never really thought about it that way. In his mind, he really liked the young man and just thought he could help him out, and that obsession with goblins unnerved him. Though, now that he thought about it, Goblin Slayer was an orphan. And he did come to Conan asking for advice, similar to how Conan did with his own father.

"And here you… are," Witch continued. "Worried if… his date is going… well. Like it or… not, you are his… substitute parent."

Conan just stood there, thinking over what she said. If anything, she was right. This is pretty much how a parent acted towards its child, and Conan wasn't sure if that was the right thing. He didn't have children before, and if he did, which was a probability since he did tend to sleep around often, he wouldn't know about it.

"I'm… not sure about that. I'm hardly a father material. My actions don't really reflect on that," Conan said, not really thinking a man whose profession varied from a mercenary to a thief would be a model father.

"Don't be… discouraged. If anything… your actions with… Goblin Slayer prove… that if you do… have children… sometime in the… future, you'll be… a good father," Witch said before putting her arm around his waist and leaning into him. "And that's quite… a good quality… in a man."

Conan the looked at her and smiled, before leaning down and kissing her, which she gladly returned. After a few moments, they separated.

"I'm surprised you didn't take a profession of a consular," Conan jested making her laugh.

"That's hardly anything… special. It's actually… quite obvious… to see," she said. "Oh, and… you should finish… that ice-cream. It'll melt."

Conan looked down at his cup and saw that it was indeed starting to melt. He chuckled before resuming to eating the ice-cream.

After that, they continued walking through the people-filled streets, looking for other things to enjoy at this festival.

* * *

It was already evening, and Goblin Slayer was now enjoying the festival with Guild Girl, who switched with Cow Girl sometime past noon. Guild Girl was dressed more casually than Cow Girl, in a simple white button-up shirt, a brown skirt, and heels.

Right now she was leading him towards the Guild's watchtower, something which wasn't really allowed, but she insisted that no harm would be done.

When they arrived at the top, they got a pretty good view of the festival below, with many lights in the streets to illuminate the night sky. It can be easily described as a beautiful sight.

"Alright, it'll begin any moment now," Guild Girl said, making Goblin Slayer look at her in confusion at what she meant.

Soon after, many lights shot up into the sky, filling it with bright orange color. Goblin Slayer quickly realized that those were the sky lanterns that people lit up during the festival and sent to the sky, with many people believing it helped guide the spirits of the deceased to the heavens above.

All those many lanterns up there, decorating the night sky, made for an even more beautiful sight. It made Goblin Slayer actually smile.

He then looked down at Guild Girl, who was also looking up towards them with a smile on her face. It was actually sight that warmed the heart, seeing her so happy, and not constantly wearing that smile she had to for many adventurers.

He then reached with his hand as if to hold her, but he stopped himself for a moment as if unsure if that was the right thing. But he decided to go with his gut feeling on what to do, and put his arm around her waist, making her yelp and look at him. For a moment he thought he might have done something wrong. However, right after she smiled with a blush on her cheeks and leaned into his side, which actually encouraged him to completely wrap his arm around her waist and hold her close.

They stood like that for a while, looking at the lanterns above.

On the ground with Witch and Conan, they also looked at the floating lanterns in the sky. Witch took a position where she leaned into Conan with her back and resting her head on his chest, while Conan just looked up.

* * *

Conan was somewhat intrigued, not seeing any such tradition on his continent, a seeming ritual to guide the dead spirits to the afterlife.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Witch asked.

"Yes, I suppose," Conan answered.

"You suppose? Is that… what you… would say if… I asked you… if I'm beautiful?" Witch playfully asked.

Conan just smirked. "Don't push your luck, woman."

"I'm not, and you… know it," Witch said, making Conan sigh, despite how true it was. He honestly didn't really mind her jesting like that.

Then they saw a group of female priests with staffs walking towards a lighted podium.

"Oh, it looks like… it's time," Witch said.

"A time for what?"

"You'll see."

Then those gathered around the podium, with a figure that walked in the middle of the group stepped on. Conan and Witch recognized the figure as Priestess, who wasn't holding her usual staff but some sort of flail. She was also dressed in clothing that revealed much of her skin, a long skirt that was open in the middle and half sleeves on her forearms that extended below her knees.

Conan raised an eyebrow at her choice of clothing. "For gods who hold virginity as some precious thing, this is a strange choice of clothing," he said making Witch just shrug her shoulders.

Then Priestess began to dance while making some motions with her flail. Her moves were followed by chanting.

"O gods who gather at the table of the stars…"

* * *

Back at the watchtower, Goblin Slayer and Guild Girl also watched Priestess performing a ceremony and a prayer that called the gods.

"…by the pips of the dice of fate and chance…"

Priestess' movements were as elegant as her voice.

"O Earth Mother, we beseech you…"

She then swung her flail.

"As you will, be it my will…"

"She's good, isn't she?" asked Guild Girl as she watched the Priestess perform the ritual.

"Yeah," Goblin Slayer answered, remembering Priestess mentioning that she was practicing. It would appear that was it.

"May no ill upset the scales of order and chaos in heaven. May all be well."

"Bless the protector of the night, bring him happiness."

"I pray to the distant sky, I offer my petition…"

And soon, the ritual ended.

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of that. Now as you might have read from the title, the next chapter is going to be where the things heat up. Now, I know what more of you light novel readers might be thinking 'Wait a minute?! Didn't GS, Spearman and Heavy Swordsman fight that dark wizard in volume 4?!' And you'd be correct, but I decided to move it before the Harvest festival. The manga did the same thing and I think it actually fits.**

**AN 2: And now, here's a question for you? Would you like me to do some other Conan stories? I had a few ideas about some other stories where Conan crossovers in some fantasy anime like Maria the Virgin Witch and Record of the Grancrest War. If you have any ideas, then share them. I would like to hear them.**

**But enough of my rambling. See you in the next chapter!**


	16. 15 The Storm Begins

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here we are with yet another chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. This came out later than I would have liked but at least I was able to get it out sooner than the last one. I hope you enjoy!**

**Now to reviews!**

**Zealot24: I see. I guess it makes sense when you put it like. No wonder the manga or the anime don't follow the story chronologically.**

**Guest: Don't worry. After this one, you'll get more Conan stories in the future.**

**Dracus6: Oh boy. Look, when I said to give me some suggestions for stories, I meant Conan stories. So sorry, but I won't be doing any of those before Conan if I decide to even do them.**

**And thank you for that scenario suggestion, but I already have things planned out.**

**Guest(2): Thank you.**

* * *

15 The Storm Begins

Goblin Slayer walked down the creaking stairs of the watchtower at the Adventurer's Guild, with Guild Girl walking in front of him, as she wore a really satisfied smile on her face due to her finally spending some time with Goblin Slayer.

The festival was at its end and the two of them were ready to finish the day. Once they arrived at the door Guild Girl tried to open it put when she turned the door handle it wouldn't budge. Guild Girl gained a look of confusion on her face.

"That's strange," she said as she tried turning the handle a few more times. "I was sure I didn't lock the door."

Now Goblin Slayer's battle instincts were suddenly activated, his mind turning from relaxation to caution quickly. He looked around to see if there was anyone else inside with them, though it was harder due to the room being dark.

Then his ears picked something and he quickly reacted. He grabbed Guild Girl and swiftly moved her away causing her to yelp in surprise, as several daggers embedded themselves into the door. Goblin Slayer quickly put down one of the tables nearby and put Guild Girl behind it for cover.

"Stay here, and don't move," he told her before drawing his saber out of its sheath, though he now wished he had his armor with him. He got out of the cover and saw that there was a short hooded figure in front of him, a figure that seemed familiar for some reason.

The figure drew two daggers and dashed at him with some impressive speed and Goblin Slayer reacted by thrusting his sword forward causing the figure to stop, with the tip of the blade near its face.

The figure then dived to the side with great swiftness lunged at Goblin Slayer who moved his blade for a slide slash which forced the figure to block it with its daggers and stop the planned assault. Goblin Slayer slashed several times at the cloaked figure, all of which were blocked before it moved away from the last one and put some distance between it and Goblin Slayer.

They stared at each other for a moment, with Guild Girl peeking from the side of the table to see the fight that was happening. Fear was gripping her heart as she was unsure of the outcome of this battle, but hoping that Goblin Slayer would win.

Goblin Slayer looked at his opponent while holding his blade in front of him. He had to admit that whoever this person was they were pretty fast and skilled with the daggers, but with all the training he received from Conan keeping up wasn't that much of an issue. But when he looked at his blade he saw several drops of dark liquid on it. He knew it wasn't blood since he didn't land a hit on his opponent, so that left only one thing, poison. This meant that he had to be more careful, as he wasn't armored at this point and his blade could only do so much.

The cloaked figure went on the offensive again, and Goblin Slayer, knowing he needed to catch it off guard somehow, moved out of the way as the figure went past him. He then caught a wooden chair and flung it at his opponent. The figure, not expecting the move, dodged the incoming projectile but was almost blindsided by Goblin Slayer who quickly found himself near his opponent and swinging his saber down. The figure tried to block the incoming attack but soon found its hand sliced off and letting a grunt of pain.

This caused the assailant to quickly nurse his hand by pushing it into the cloak, but it wasn't to last as Goblin Slayer now pressed on the attack. The cloaked assailant tried to block the series of saber slashes and thrusts but it was all for naught as Goblin Slayer's slash made the figure drop his dagger and stagger for a moment, giving Goblin Slayer an opportunity to quickly thrust his blade into his opponent's chest. The masked figure let out another pained grunt at the thrust, and yet another as Goblin Slayer pulled out his sword out of him. The assailant tried to nurse yet another devastating wound but ended up collapsing on the floor, dead, with a small lake blood forming around the body.

Goblin Slayer was panting, his opponent actually being a challenge despite his small size. He had to thank Conan for all the training he had him go through, or else he might have not been able to match the speed of his opponent.

"Is it done?" he heard Guild Girl ask. He turned toward her and gave her a nod, to which she got out of her cover and walked next to him.

Goblin Slayer then leaned down and pulled down the dead man's hood to see who it was, and revealed a face of a rhea, which made Guild Girl gasp.

"I… I know him," Guild Girl said as she got a good look on his face. "He is the scout that we ended up demoting. Remember, I asked you to be there?"

But Goblin Slayer just stood there and looked at the corpse. He knows he has seen him before, but not from the time of which Guild Girl was speaking. He remembered earlier today as he saw two hooded figures talking to each other, but he ended up dismissing them.

His red eyes then suddenly widened, his brain quickly putting things together. He quickly turned towards Guild Girl causing her to flinch at the sudden motion. "Listen to me, this town is in danger! Goblins are going to attack!" he frantically said, making the woman look at him wide-eyed.

* * *

Goblin Slayer was quickly running through the city, this time fully adorned in his armor. He needed to contact his team and he needed to do it fast. He passed many people, who looked at him in either confusion or annoyance but he didn't care.

He hoped he could also contact Conan as this situation definitely could use someone like him. He also wished that he could get more but he wasn't sure how to contact the other adventurers, with them not gathered in the Guild like the last time.

He also warned Cow Girl about the impending danger. She was shocked but in the end heeded his advice to retreat from the city back to her farm, especially when she saw how desperate he looked.

Right now he needed to gather as much help as he could if what he thinks will happen ends up being true.

* * *

Guild Girl was also running through the streets, knowing full well who to seek. Goblin Slayer told her to go away from the city but she couldn't just go. If she could help him survive this then she would do it with all her might. She just got him accepting her feelings and she wasn't going to let him die.

She frantically looked around as she ran, hoping the next turn she would spot her target. The lamps and people around her turned to blur as she looked. Tears nearly adorned her eyes as she grew desperate. She didn't have much time.

Soon her stamina started to wane, not being one of the more physically active people, adrenaline being the only thing keeping her moving.

As she passed yet another street as she saw two familiar figures. She came to a stop as she saw the figures and a smile finally adorning her face, finally finding Conan who was walking next to Witch.

"Sir Conan, Miss Witch!" she called out causing the two people to turn to her. She then quickly closed the distance between them. The adrenaline left her body as she suddenly started heavily panting and supported herself by grabbing her knees, her forehead dripping with sweat.

"Whoa there! What's the matter?" Conan asked as he saw her. It must have been something important if she had to run so much.

"It's…! Goblin Slayer!" she said between the pants. "He says that…! We will be…! Invaded by goblins!"

That caused the two adventurers to look at her in shock. A goblin invasion? Was another one really happening? This situation seemed dire.

* * *

Sometime later, Goblin Slayer stood near the forest area near the city. Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman, High Elf Archer, Priestess, Witch, and Conan stood there with him. They helped him to quickly set up some traps for the goblin attack, but they were pretty simple as they didn't have too much time to set up too much.

All of them got their regular equipment, except for Conan who was dressed in his chainmail and only had his battle-axe with his broadsword being currently in repair.

"Are you sure about this?" Conan asked Goblin Slayer as he put some cover made from grass and leaves for the trap.

"Yes, I'm sure," he replied as he added some finishing touches for another trap. His mind was calmer when he learned that Cow Girl and Guild Girl left the city for their safety, but the situation still had him tense and thinking.

The plan of attack was simple. Goblin Slayer, Conan and Lizard Priest would be at the front, Witch and Dwarf Shaman were mid-range support and High Elf Archer and Priestess were at the back, with Archer shooting the goblins from the distance and Priestess only coming in when they needed her.

"I'll scout forward, and see if there are any goblins coming towards us," Conan said before leaving the group. They didn't have any regular scouts with them so Conan had to serve that role, to which they were thankful.

When Conan left, Lizard Priest spoke to Goblin Slayer. "I'm sorry that your evening was ruined, milord Goblin Slayer. Especially when you started enjoying yourself." Lizard Priest was very familiar with Goblin Slayer, which was natural considering they were a team for quite a while and felt great joy for his comrade when he learned that he was finally enjoying himself at the Harvest festival. But Goblins had to ruin things once again.

"I'll be fine," was Goblin Slayer's simple response, though there could be noticed a hint of irritation in his voice.

The group didn't wait long as Conan returned from his scouting. "They're near. It'll take them about a minute before they arrive," he informed them.

They reacted quickly and got into their hiding spots. Conan, Goblin Slayer, and Lizard Priest hid behind some trees while Witch, Dwarf Shaman, and Priestess found some bushes and High Elf Archer hid in a tree.

Silence prevailed for a little while before some gurgling sounds were heard, which indicated that goblins have arrived. Several of them came into view as they moved forward, nearing the team's position.

Goblin Slayer then took out one of his daggers. He peeked from behind his tree, seeing where some of the goblins were located. He then came out of his hiding spot and threw the dagger which stabbed one of the goblins straight through the brain. The other goblins looked in shock for a moment before eyeing the attacker. Their eyes then gleamed with fury before they let out guttural roars and charged forward.

However, as they charged several of them found themselves falling through the ground, revealing it to be fake before they got impaled on the wooden spikes below as they screamed in pain and surprise.

The rest of them halted as they were caught off guard by what just happened. That gave the others enough time to act. Conan and Lizard Priest came out of their hiding spots and, along with Goblin Slayer, quickly charged. They jumped over the trap and hailed on the goblin group.

Conan swung his axe, attacking with ferociousness and speed of a lion, as he slashed through several of them at once. He then proceeded to attack more, cleaving them in half, splitting skulls open or slashing through them.

Lizard Priest attacked them with a ferociousness that his people were known for, slashing through goblins with his blade as easily as a knife cuts through butter. Any goblin in his path found itself cut down in less than a second.

Goblin Slayer used his saber, leaving his shorter blade in its sheath as a backup weapon. His attacked with quick strikes and slashes, cutting through many goblins, slashing their throats, stabbing through them, beheading them. Conan explained to him that the blade of a finer design won't dull nearly as fast as cheaper weapons so he didn't have to replace it as often, and holding unto the advice that goblins wouldn't be that much more dangerous with a better blade so he wasn't afraid of dying with one.

The three of them cut through the goblins by the dozens, their skills, experiences and physical attributes making them a deadly force in battle. Several goblins tried to blindside them but they found themselves either hit by a fire spell, stone or a bud-tipped arrow, as Witch, Dwarf Shaman, and High Elf Archer assisted their companions in fighting the goblins.

Fairly soon a great number of goblins was reduced, causing the rest of the goblin group to panic and quickly form a retreat.

The three warriors stood among the bloody battlefield, goblin remains scattered throughout the ground. They quickly flicked the blood of their weapons.

"How many did we get?" Conan asked.

"Around sixty," came the answer from Goblin Slayer.

"Quite the achievement," said Lizard Priest as he examined his blade for any significant damage. "Though, this appeared to be… too easy."

"You're right," Conan confirmed what the lizardman was thinking. "They weren't very organized in their assault like they were just ordered to go ahead and do whatever they pleased. That shows either cockiness or confidence. Though, considering only a few of us knew about the attack I'm willing to bet it was the latter. We may have just thrown dealt a good blow to whoever is behind this."

"We cannot be too sure about that," Goblin Slayer said, not wanting to get too confident in their situation. He knew personally how tricky it can be to deal with goblins. "We should follow them and exterminate them. Our presence was a surprise and it's an advantage we should exploit to the fullest."

Conan gave Goblin Slayer a nod before putting his hand into the air and making a few signaling gestures for their comrades who were still at the distance, which meant that they are on the move and they should follow but still keep to their positions.

* * *

The perpetrator of this invasion, a Dark Elf, stood in an open field looking annoyed at the news he was given. Apparently, there was a group of adventurers who wiped out a good number of his goblins.

He gave a look at the hand-shaped artifact he carried beneath his black robe. He needed to complete the ritual for this artifact so he could summon the Hecantonchier, the hundred-handed giants of old, at the command of his dark gods. But this and the happenings in Water Town served to hinder his plans.

He realized that he needed to deal with the threat to his mission. And he needed to do it immediately.

He advanced across the field with his goblins, this time planning a more strategic approach to the situation. Rain also started falling; drenching him but he hardly registered it.

But after a while, he got a whiff of something with his nose. Something… very unpleasant. He quickly covered his mouth with some black cloth of his robe, not wanting to risk being exposed to possible poison. He then looked at the goblins that were with him and saw that they also showed displeasure at the smell and tried to cover their noses and getting them to halt.

He then saw something hitting the ground within his goblin forces some distance in front of him; due to the sound of glass breaking, he assumed it was a liquid container of some sort. He then heard several other similar sounds, realizing that more were thrown.

Then he saw some sort of orange spark in the coming as well. Once it touched some goblins they set on fire immediately, making the Dark Elf look in shock. He realized that those containers were filled with some flammable liquid. And that caused a chain reaction due to other goblins that were touched by it to burst into flames as well.

* * *

Witch held out her staff as she finished casting one of her stronger fire spells. She had to use a stronger spell because of the rain it started falling, though thankfully it seemed to have done its job.

After they stopped the initial group of goblins, they moved onto others and wiped them out as well. After that, they needed to attack the main body of the horde. The plan was simple, use some of the stinky liquid that they quickly extracted from some fish to use as a distraction and a way to catch the army off guard and then use her fire spells to ignite some flammable liquids they had.

Though the plan was working the rain made it hard for the flames to stay for too long before they were snuffed out. However, that gave them a great opportunity. She then threw a few more fire spells, Dwarf Shaman used his stone magic to throw some rocks at them and High Elf Archer fired her arrows. They needed to thin out the numbers of the goblins.

Their assault struck true as their spells and the fire did a good job thinning out their numbers.

"Good job," came the voice of Conan who now walked in front of her with his axe ready. "Now go to the back with the rest. The three of us will take it from here."

Witch nodded before the three of them moved further back as Conan, Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest once again came in front, with some Dragon-Tooth Warriors Lizard Priest created for a better offensive.

The goblins soon recovered from the shock of the sudden attack, they saw the three men and skeletal warriors charge at them. The goblins gave out several battle roars and charged at them as well.

"Yes, little devils! Come to your death!" exclaimed Conan as he ran faster at the goblins, closing the distance faster than his companions and immediately struck at them, his axe easily cleaving three of the goblins in two with a single swipe. His savage nature kicking in and he began slashing through the goblins, giving out several roars of his own, actually making some goblins pause in fear.

The two later joined in and attacked the goblins, proceeding to kill them in similar ways they did with the rest of the groups.

"It would appear that milord Conan is quite eager," said Lizard Priest as he killed several goblins.

"Yeah," Goblin Slayer answered as he cut through goblins as well. It was something he noticed very early about Conan. The man loved to fight, if anything he relished in it. It honestly scared him sometimes. Though, Conan is more controlled about it than he was about goblins. "And it's a good thing they didn't have any Hobs or Lords. That would have made it a lot more complicated."

Yes, that was another thing they noticed, the lack of Hobgoblins and Goblin Lords. Goblin Slayer actually feared the enemy might have them but they didn't encounter any in any goblin group. But Conan did voice his complaints about not being able to fight some Goblin Lords once again.

As they continued to slash through the number of goblins, making the grassy ground wet with blood as well as rain, Conan noticed the cloaked man standing some distance away. He could easily deduce that he was the one behind all of this, no doubt trying to get things done himself. Conan grinned, hoping this man would provide more of a challenge than those pathetic goblins.

Conan quickly disengaged his position and ran through the goblins, cutting them along the way.

"Where are you going?!" Goblin Slayer screamed as he saw Conan run towards the cloaked figure but it fell on deaf ears as Conan just charged with a savage grin on his face.

But as he neared he then heard the man mutter something.

"Omnis modos libero! I unbind all that is bound!" then suddenly a huge beam of light shot towards Conan whose eyes widened for a moment before his reflexes kicked in and he moved swiftly out of the way of the blast.

He then saw the huge beam go through the goblins horde disintegrating them on the way and leaving a trail on the ground beneath it. Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest moved away from the blast but the Dragon-Tooth warriors were disintegrated.

The beam also seemed to be moving at the direction of the rest of their team, causing Conan's mind to panic for a moment before he heard Priestess scream 'Protection!' as a huge dome of light enveloped them and stopped the blast in its tracks.

Conan gave a smile at that, knowing they were safe. Then he suddenly felt his chest hurt making him wince for a moment. He looked down and saw that despite moving out of the way of the attack the majority of chainmail on his chest area was gone and his flesh was burned. It appeared that he was still close enough to be damaged by the attack. And the rain irritating his burned chest didn't really help, but he ignored it and turned towards the cloaked man.

Being considerably closer he could see that the man had dark skin, very dark skin. His hair was colored light blonde and he sported a pair of long ears, similar to that of an elf, making Conan deduce that he must be a dark elf.

And right now, the man looked at Conan irritated which Conan returned. "Try that trick again, and I guarantee it won't work," Conan growled out. He honestly didn't like how, in his mind at least, this man used a coward's tactic to finish the fight. He even killed some of his soldiers while doing it. The number of goblins he had left was laughable and Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest could easily take care of them.

The showed his gritted teeth before taking out a weapon, which appeared to be a small sword. "Oh, believe me, you haven't seen nothing yet," the man said before taking out another thing from his robe, something that appeared to be a demonic-looking hand.

The man then began to chant something in whispers, something Conan couldn't really make out before the object suddenly had small fires coming from its fingertips. The man suddenly had a mad gleam in his eyes and his mouth turned into a big smile. "Now you're done for," he said before something happened to his body. Some black appendages grew from his and took a form of demonic arms that began moving menacingly, making the man have seven arms in total.

Conan looked stunned for a moment before frowning. "That's your trick? More arms?"

"Sorry that I couldn't impress you," Dark Elf said with madness still present on his face. "But I ask that you give me a chance to change your mind." After that, the elf charged at Conan.

Conan went on guard immediately, blocking the man's sword strike with his axe but he quickly moved back as several descended down on him. A few were actually able to hit him with their claws, damaging his chainmail and one even scratching him on his burned chest. Conan grunted in pain and put his hand on the now burned and bleeding chest.

The dark elf once again charged at Conan who gave him a glare and readied his axe for a fight. However, something was going in Dark Elf's direction and one of the hands grabbed it, which Dark Elf saw to be an arrow.

Then he saw the two from before running towards him with their weapons ready to attack, using his temporary distraction as an opportunity. They swung with their blades in his direction but his extra arms were able to defend him and keep the two at bay. He retaliated and attacked the two, which ended in quite an exchange of blocks, parries, and attacks, with so many limbs moving an average man wouldn't be able to tell what in the world was going on.

After a while, one of the hands was able to land a punch on Lizard Priest's face making him grunt before two others pushed him away. The man grinned as that only left one more to deal with. He turned towards Goblin Slayer. "And now you die!" he exclaimed as he readied to strike his opponent with all the arms he had at once.

"O Earth Mother…" Dark Elf then heard the voice from before and stopped, recognizing it the one that stopped his disintegration spell. "…abounding in mercy, grant your sacred light to we who are lost in the darkness!"

A huge flash of light suddenly blinded the dark elf, making him quickly cover his eyes, which gave Goblin Slayer enough time to thrust with his saber, piercing the man's chainmail and digging deep into his chest. That caused to open his eyes in surprise of the sudden pain and then he saw the axe that Conan used coming towards him but couldn't react fast enough as it embedded into his head, killing him.

The light then stopped and Goblin Slayer took out his saber out of the man's chest which spurted blood out of the wound and made him fall on his back, a look of shock still present on his face.

Conan gave out a grin as he stood there panting and holding his still bleeding chest. Lizard Priest then approached him and held out his hand which started glowing. The wound dealt to Conan healed, the bleeding stopped and the burns receded.

"Feeling better, sir Conan?" the lizardman, still showing signs of fatigue, asked as he finished healing his companion.

"Never better," Conan answered as he examined his wound and saw that there were no more wounds on it, just his bare chest.

Lizard Priest gave him a smile. "I'm very glad to hear that."

The rest of the group soon approached them.

"Boy, there was quite a mess made today," Dwarf Shaman commented.

* * *

Goblin Slayer was currently walking back home, still dressed in his complete armor, deciding he would take it off after he arrived. After that battle, he needed rest and no doubt that Cow Girl was worried sick about him. Witch volunteered to give a report to the authorities along with High Elf Archer and even informing Guild Girl of what happened, with the rest deciding to go and rest.

Goblin Slayer walked for a while before the familiar sight of the farmhouse appeared, making a smile return appear on his face. He now understood how some adventurers felt, being able to return home and to their loved ones after a big fight. It felt really great.

As he neared the house he noticed that there were no lights on, which was expected as it was pretty late, but he couldn't see Cow Girl sitting on her usual bench where she waited for him to return. Perhaps she was also exhausted and went to rest.

He walked on the house steps and approached the door. He decided not to knock or announce his presence since he didn't want to wake anyone up, though he couldn't wait until morning to see Cow Girl's face when she sees him.

He then opened the door and walked in. But then his nose was suddenly assaulted by a smell he was all too familiar with, a smell that made his mind panic and his eyes to suddenly widen in fear and shock.

Blood!

He quickly sniffed to see where the blood was coming from and when he found where it made his blood almost instantly freeze. The smell was coming from Cow Girl's room!

Fear gripped his heart like never before as he ran towards his girlfriend's room, his breathing more frantic as his sight almost became a tunnel vision at how fast he was going.

When he reached the room he saw that the door was open and he didn't waste time going inside. Once inside, he saw that Cow Girl's bedsheet was thrown on the floor, her window was open, but no sign of Cow Girl anywhere. But as he looked to the floor he saw something that made him go wide-eyed and his mouth hung open.

Goblin Slayer stared completely stunned as he saw that the uncle of his girlfriend and his landlord laid on the ground on his stomach, the moonlight illuminating his still form. Beneath him was a pool of blood that came from his neck which appeared to be slashed and his head was turned to the side to reveal his open mouth and eyes, having a look of shock as he laid dead.

* * *

**AN: Whoo! Bet you people didn't see that one coming, did ya? Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger but it felt an appropriate place to end. And to make things clear, I'm diverging from the canon at this point. Everything that comes after will be all original scenarios.**

**Also, I'm not completely thrilled with how I've written the battle with the Dark Elf and his army. I honestly just wanted to get it over with since I don't want to follow canon too much and I'm sorry if it displeased you. **

**And I hope you leave reviews. Some critiques could help me improve in writing and reviews help writers to be motivated. And thanks to all the people who reviewed so far. You helped me greatly. And if you have some story suggestions with Conan feel free to share them. Such an influential character deserves more stories on this site.**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	17. 16 The Thief's Doing

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's yet another chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. Enjoy!**

**Now to reviews.**

**DeathTheManiac: Thank you! It makes me really happy to know you feel that way. And yeah, that series was surprising.**

**And I thank you for the suggestions. However, I think that some of them aren't really going to work and Conan would be SEVERELY underpowered. For example, in Nanatsu no Taizai characters can collapse buildings without any effort while Conan needs a lot of effort to collapse a stone pillar. I don't really see him working effectively in that universe unless I give him a huge boost but that wouldn't really feel like Conan.**

**But still thanks!**

**Dracus6: Thank you for the suggestion but I already have things planned out. Don't worry, Hero will be included.**

**And I know you think that V for Vendetta and Akame ga Kill crossover would be good, I think that too, but I just don't feel like writing it. I have an idea of a Watchmen and Akame ga Kill crossover where Adrian Veidt is in the AGK universe if you are interested in that but I'm currently focusing on Conan as I feel he needs more stories on this site.**

**Guest: Uh... sorry? I had a feeling someone might react like that, but I felt that it was needed for the story.**

**Guest(2): Neither. I'm not using any movie version of Conan. The Conan I'm using is from the books by Robert E Howard and several comics I've read of him that keep him in character with that version.**

* * *

16 The Thief's Doing

Goblin Slayer stood in shock at the scene. The man who provided him with a home and the uncle of his girlfriend laid dead on the floor and the said girlfriend wasn't here.

He quickly composed himself, as much as he was able to. He needed to see what happened exactly. He kneeled down at the man's body and examined the injury, a swift and clean slice through the neck, though he couldn't say if it was with a dagger or a sword. He closed the man's eyes in respect, him being one of the closest things to a family he had for years, even though their relationship was more professional.

He then quickly looked at the bed, took off his gauntlet and touched the mattress with his bare hand. It was still somewhat warm, meaning that not only was she taken but she was taken recently. And that meant that they aren't very far.

With that realization, he quickly went outside, putting the gauntlet back and below where the open window was located. He then looked at the grass beneath the window. Look at any disturbance on the grass, he saw that there was a certain shape on it. A shape of a human foot.

He then looked next to it and saw several more, all going away from the house. And seemingly in a hurry. Goblin Slayer's eyes narrowed in sudden anger he felt at the person who dared kidnap Cow Girl and murder her uncle, before immediately speeding off in the direction where the person who left those footprints was headed.

While he was running he made sure not to move too fast otherwise he might have lost sight of the footprints. They led him into the nearby forest, his previous fatigue forgotten, and anger lingering in his mind as he gave pursuit.

He ran for a while, his pace never slowing, moving through low branches of trees, jumping over roots that were on the surface. His eyes then saw a glimpse of red, which seemed to sway a bit, and realizing he was seeing the hair color of Cow Girl.

His pace quickened, his feet moving so rapidly they almost hurt, but that didn't hinder his determination. As he neared his target he was able to make out more of who was in front of him. He got an image of a dark-skinned man, seemingly lightly clothed, running with Cow Girl slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

The man then turned his head and noticed Goblin Slayer following him. The man then came to a halt and turned around, prompting Goblin Slayer to stop as well. He got a better look at the man. The man was tall, bald head, narrow features, black eyes, a muscular but slender physique. He was dressed lightly, no armor, just a black loincloth and a dark vest with sandals on his feet. Goblin Slayer then noticed a jewel-hilted sword strapped on his side.

The man glared at Goblin Slayer though not with as much intensity that Goblin Slayer glared at him beneath the helmet. "Another one?" the man said, confirming to Goblin Slayer that he was the one who killed Cow Girl's uncle, and gave a scoff. "This is what happens when I'm in a hurry. I get sloppy."

Goblin Slayer then took out his saber and got his shield ready. "Let her go," Goblin Slayer said with a slight growl in his voice.

The man then glanced at Cow Girl before turning back to Goblin Slayer. "Well, it would be a bother to fight and carry her," he said before letting the girl drop unceremoniously to the ground, making Goblin Slayer tense. He looked at Cow Girl, still dressed in her undergarments and unconscious. "But where are my manners," the man continued as he pulled out his sword, which was single-edged with a simple crossguard. "My name is Tat Shevatas, and I-"

Goblin Slayer didn't let him finish before attacking the now-named Shevatas who quickly blocked the sword strike with his own blade. Shevatas then pushed the saber aside and went for a slash of his own which was blocked by Goblin Slayer's shield. Shevatas then moved to the side as Goblin Slayer went for a counter, putting some distance between them.

"So, is that woman yours?" Shevatas asked with a smirk. "If she is, I commend your taste."

Goblin Slayer just charged at him. This resulted in an exchange of slashes, parries, blocks, counters, and dodges. Then Goblin Slayer's vision blurred and his arm seemingly gained some weight, making his last strike go off course before it got deflected by Shevatas.

"And just where are do you think you're aiming?" Shevatas mockingly asked before going for a stab, which almost pierced through Goblin Slayer's neck but Goblin Slayer moved just in time to the side but the path of the blade still slashed at a more vulnerable spot at the shoulder and drew blood.

Goblin Slayer grunted and moved away to put some distance between him and his opponent. He saw that his vision was blurry, he began to pant heavily and his arms started feeling like lead. This wasn't good, he was tired after the battle with all those goblins and the Dark Elf, he lacked sleep and he ran quite a distance when he pushed himself.

Shevatas gave a chuckle. "Tired already? What a shame. And here I thought this would be more fun," he said as he put out his hand to show some throwing knives between his fingers. Goblin Slayer focused more as he was on high alert, but when he looked at the knives he saw that… the throwing knives were HIS. He looked down at his belt and saw the small sheaths where he held the knives were empty.

Shevatas flashed a huge mocking and amused grin at Goblin Slayer and threw the knives at the armored adventurer. Goblin Slayer reacted by raising his shield and blocking them. When he removed it from his view he was surprised to see Shevatas was already in front of him. His arm was in a backhanding motion and he hit Goblin Slayer on the helmet with the hilt of his blade.

Goblin Slayer gave a slight yell and he stumbled back quite a bit of distance from the blow. The blow also caused him to feel sick from all the ringing it caused which caused him to fall on his knees and drop his saber. He then quickly went to undo the strap beneath the helmet, sloppily untied the knot and took off the helmet. The ringing was gone but he still felt disoriented. Then his head was bombarded by a huge amount of pain as something slammed into it, which felt like a foot so it appeared that Shevatast kicked him.

The kick caused Goblin Slayer to give a loud pained grunt as his upper body was pushed up from the force and blood seeped out of his mouth. Goblin Slayer then fell on his back with another grunt and coughed up more blood.

He heard Shevatas laugh above him. "I honestly thought you would put up more of a fight than this." Goblin Slayer opened his eyes, hard as he was still feeling weak, and saw Shevatas point a sword at his head. "Too bad."

Shevatas went to strike a finishing blow, but Goblin Slayer got one last burst of adrenaline, moved his head out of the way, causing the blade to embed itself into the ground, and quickly grabbed the sword by the blade.

"What?" Shevatas exclaimed in surprise, not expecting his opponent to put up any more of a fight. He tried yanking his sword out of Goblin Slayer's grip but the man held. "Let go." He pulled on his sword more, which started to slide through Goblin Slayer's palm, drawing some blood. But he then saw Goblin Slayer move his legs for a sweep to which Shevatas reacted by jumping back a little, moving out of the way of the sweep and simultaneously getting his sword out of Goblin Slayer's grip, which was still bloody from cutting his hands.

Goblin Slayer then turned on his stomach and tried to pull himself up with his arms, but that task at his current state was very laboring. He got off the ground enough to use his knees for stability. He then looked at Shevatas who looked really amused.

"So you still have some fight left in you. Too bad it won't-" Shevatas suddenly stopped himself as his eyes slightly widened. He then put his hand on his head. "Yes, but-" he said before he stopped himself again. It seemed he was talking to someone else. "But I-… Fine."

Shevatas then flicked the blood off his sword and sheathed it. "You have some luck," he commented before walking back towards the unconscious Cow Girl and once again picking her up and hanging her on his shoulder before running away again.

Goblin Slayer glared at the retreating figure of Tat Shevatas. He would give chase again but the adrenaline wore off and now he felt dead tired from everything. His limbs gave in and Goblin Slayer slumped back on the ground and blacked out.

* * *

Sometime later, Goblin Slayer started coming to as his consciousness slowly returned. His body felt heavy and ached from almost everywhere. He slowly opened his eyes and saw some silhouettes which he couldn't quite make out yet. And his ears were bombarded with some sounds, seemingly voices from someone.

He didn't understand what they were talking about at first but they slowly became more distinguished and the silhouettes gained more features.

"He's coming to." He heard a feminine voice say.

"He is indeed." He heard the voice of who he thought was Lizard Priest.

His vision returned as he completely opened his eyes, the silhouettes turning into figures of High Elf Archer, Lizard Priest and Priestess, all of whom looked concerned with High Elf Archer and Priestess looking even more so.

High Elf Archer then gave a happy grin as she saw him. "Orcbolg, you're awake!" she exclaimed causing Priestess to give a sigh of relief while Lizard Priest smiled.

Goblin Slayer then rubbed his eyes before starting to rise up, with his body still hurting. When he got into a seating position his hand went to his head as he felt a sudden headache coming to him.

"Here, drink this," he heard Lizard Priest say as he saw the tall lizardman hand him a glass bottle filled with some blue liquid. Goblin Slayer took it and drank, his headache calming until it stopped to hurt.

He looked around and saw that he was on a bed in a plain white room with several other beds and several windows. He then also noticed that he and the three in front of him were the only ones here. He was also stripped off his armor leaving him in his black shorts.

"Where are we?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"In the Infirmary," Lizard Priest answered. "You didn't come to the Guild for quite a while and you aren't the type to be late. We went to see if you were alright but we found a body in the house and later found you lying on the ground, injured and unconscious. We used our spells to heal you but we weren't sure of the extent of your injuries so we brought you to the Infirmary."

"I see," Goblin Slayer answered.

"Orcbolg, what happened exactly?" High Elf Archer asked.

"I would like to know as well," an all too familiar voice came causing Goblin Slayer to look at the entrance to the Infirmary and seeing Conan standing there with his arms crossed and a serious expression his face. "I heard about your situation and came to check on you. Tell us, who attacked you?"

"Well… when I came back home I smelled blood." He then proceeded to explain what happened. How he discovered Cow Girl was kidnapped and her uncle killed, before chasing after the culprit, catching up to him but still ending up defeated due to Goblin Slayer being tired from all the fighting they did that night. As he continued on his face was devoid of stoicism and showed the anger he felt in this situation, something that was strange from his teammates to see.

"I'm very sorry to hear all that," Lizard Priest as he looked sadly at Goblin Slayer along with High Elf Archer and Priestess, as Goblin Slayer finally started to open up to people and even find love only for not too long after having the same love taken away from him. Conan felt bad for Goblin Slayer as well but he seemed to have a more thoughtful look as he thought over about the description Goblin Slayer gave about the man he fought. It seemed somewhat familiar.

"Don't be. I'll find him, and when I do I'll kill him and bring her back," Goblin Slayer said with his fist tightly gripping the bedsheets. Goblin Slayer's mind then came to something else as he remembered the man. "And now I recall that the man called himself Tat Shevatas."

That statement made Conan's eyes go wide in realization. The name, the description Goblin Slayer gave, it all came to Conan. "That's impossible," Conan said.

The group looked at him. "What do you mean impossible?" High Elf Archer looked at him confused.

"Because the man you are talking about is supposed to be dead," Conan answered making them look at him in surprise.

"You… know this man, sir Conan?" asked Priestess with Goblin Slayer looking more intensely at Conan.

"I know OF him. Tat Shevatas was a famous thief from my continent, hailed as the best in the craft. However, when he went to the ruined city Kutchemes to steal the rumored treasure of a wizard who ruled over it he was killed."

"The man's dead?" High Elf Archer asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, necromancy isn't an unheard-of practice, it's just illegal and has a heavy penalty. It's actually something dark mages often use. Perhaps one of those brought him back."

"I hardly doubt some random mage from here would know who Tat Shevatas is, much less bring him back to life," Conan said. He suspected that this was connected to the demon he and Goblin Slayer fought a while ago and that Grey Ape that attacked Goblin Slayer and Spearman. Now with Tat Shevatas involved, this meant that those two weren't coincidences.

"And what exactly would Shevatas want with Cow Girl?" Goblin Slayer asked Conan with a serious tone.

"Nothing," Conan said making Goblin Slayer adopt a confused expression. "Shevatas himself has no reason to kidnap her. I think it is more likely that the one who resurrected him wants something with her." As Conan finished explaining he remembered one more detail about this situation. "And those girls that weren't present in that goblin cave, they are most likely long dead."

This statement made the rest of them looked shocked. "A-are you certain?" asked Lizard Priest.

"I've seen things like this done on my continent, and it usually revolves around sacrifices. The one who brought back Shevatas was definitely from my continent like that demon was. The girls were more than likely needed as sacrifices, that's why they weren't there." Conan's expression then became grimmer. "And I'm certain that a similar fate will befall on Cow Girl."

That caused Goblin Slayer to shake in fury for a few moments before he swiftly got off the bed and headed out. Or he would have if he wasn't grabbed by the arm by Conan.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Conan asked as he held Goblin Slayer firmly in place.

Goblin Slayer then turned to Conan and gave him a glare. "Find her and rescue her. If what you're saying is true, then I should head out immediately."

Conan glared back. "Alone? The only thing that will accomplish is to get you killed. Even if I and the rest of your party come with you the chances of us succeeding are low. We have no idea how many enemies are there, but if you saw the ape and the demon then you should know we can expect some powerful ones," he explained. He felt that Goblin Slayer wasn't tense under his grip so he let go of his arm knowing he wouldn't run out.

"And what do we do exactly?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Simple, really."

* * *

Later at the Adventurer's Guild, a good number of adventurers were gathered within a single spot in the Guild Hall. Most of them stood while some sat but still paid attention to what was going on.

Conan stood in front of the crowd with Goblin Slayer and few others next to him, where he and Goblin Slayer proceeded to explain what happened-

"So, what you're saying is," said Female Martial Artist to Conan. "That there might be some sort of wizard from your continent currently on this one and that he poses a threat to all of us?"

"If he can summon demons more powerful than Goblin Lords then yes, he poses a big threat," Conan explained. "And if he still needs women to kidnap then he is obviously still preparing from something, which means that time is of the essence. I need as many of you for this quest as I can get and I need your answers right now. The more we talk the more Shevatas is closer to bringing the girl to whoever needs her. And we aren't sure if he needs more or if she is the last one. If you want payment, that can be discussed after. So tell me, are you going or not?"

The adventurers began discussing between themselves. The situation that Conan described was indeed serious. Some thought of bringing this matter to other Guilds or maybe the King but from what Conan said that would take too long and by the time they got a response, it would be too late. They were the ones that needed to act.

"I'm in!" came the voice of Spearman. "You'll definitely need my help for this one!"

"So am I!" exclaimed Amazon Warrior before turning to Conan. "There's no way I'm letting you go to possibly die. And you're definitely not getting all the fun."

"That's a bit… strange to say… in this situation," commented Witch as she looked at the muscular woman. "There are… lives on the… line, after all."

"Yeah, I know, but we all know that. Why repeat it?" Amazon Warrior said. "You coming, right?"

"Of course," Witch answered with a nod.

"I'm coming as well," Heavy Warrior exclaimed with a grin on his face. "And I'm certain that my team is with me." He then glanced at the said team who all smiled and nodded.

"I'll go," said Rookie Warrior, a young man with short blond hair who wore some leather armor and sword. "This situation is dire and it needs as many of us as possible."

"You're not going without me," exclaimed Apprentice Cleric, a young woman with long brown hair and green eyes, dressed in a white mage outfit.

Many others exclaimed similarly, agreeing on going on this quest. Considering what Conan said their livelihoods are threatened and they would need to act if they wanted them kept safe.

Conan and Goblin Slayer smiled at the response. Sure, not everyone agreed to go but the more prominent ones did and quite a few other adventurers joined in. That would be good enough.

"Alright, do you have any idea where to go?" asked Female Knight.

Goblin Slayer gave a nod. "We do."

* * *

Tat Shevatas was near the entrance of the temple where his master resided in. His smile never leaving his face as he entered, ready to give yet another girl to his master for the ritual.

The temple that was merely a ruin before was now rebuilt. Strong walls and columns, and clear grassland surrounding. The temple itself was decorated differently from before. From a forgotten religion that scholars would debate over now stood images of serpents adorning the columns and tapestries. The previous carvings were smoothed out and replaced with new ones, depicting the legends of Set, the serpent god.

The interior of the temple was also redecorated. Chairs, benches and such were mostly removed making the room more spacious, his master saying they should bow and not sit while worshipping Set, though it was harder to explain it to the monsters.

After Shevatas defeated Goblin Slayer he met with his allies at the rendezvous point where they took off with their horses. After several days, they made it back to the temple.

Muffled screams came from Cow Girl who was still on his shoulder as she flailed around and struggled, but to no avail. She woke up sometime during their way back to the temple which made Shevatas tie her up and gag her, though he had to admit the girl did have some strength.

Shevatas passed many people and monsters that were inside the temple and walked towards the underground part of the temple where his master was located. When he arrived he saw his master sitting at the table in the middle of the room. Unlike the rest of the temple, this place didn't have many decorations, not needing to be too grandiose.

His master then turned his hooded head towards him before standing up from his chair and approaching his servant.

Shevatas dropped Cow Girl on the floor where she landed with a muffled yell. "Master, I've brought yet another one for you," Shevatas said before bowing.

The wizard cast a look at the tied up girl on the floor who shivered under his gaze as she saw how he looked beneath the hood, also making her quiver in slight fear.

"I see," the serpent-like voice of the green-robed wizard said before turning back to Shevatas. "Excellent work, my servant. Now we only need-" he came to a sudden stop, making Shevatas look up.

"Master? Is everything alright?" Shevatas asked slightly nervous. It wasn't like his master to suddenly pause.

Even more to his surprise, his master quickly reached towards him with his bandaged hand which startled Shevatas before he saw that his master was holding his sword. He pulled out the sword and examined it, before letting out a growl, making Shevatas sweat.

His master then turned the blade of his sword and saw that one side a strange symbol on it, a symbol that wasn't there before. The symbol was a red circle with three lines going from different directions.

"You are being tracked!" his master almost yelled as he dropped Shevatas' sword in front of him.

Shevatas now looked scared. Someone was tracking him?! But how? When did that symbol get on his sword? Shevatas thought about it before his eyes widened.

_Goblin Slayer then fell on his back with another grunt and coughed up more blood._

_Shevatas laughed while standing above him. "I honestly thought you would put up more of a fight than this." Goblin Slayer opened his eyes, hardly as he was still feeling weak, and saw Shevatas point a sword at his head. "Too bad."_

_Shevatas went to strike a finishing blow, but Goblin Slayer got one last burst of adrenaline, moved his head out of the way, causing the blade to embed itself into the ground, and quickly grabbed the sword by the blade._

Shevatas was now shaking with sweat coming down his brow. Because of him, the temple was now exposed and his master hasn't finished the ritual.

He bowed low until forehead touched the ground. "F-forgive m-me, master! I… I had… no idea that-"

"Enough! No time for begging!" the towering wizard growled out. "Whoever tracked you shouldn't be too far behind! Luckily, the last one should also arrive soon." He then turned towards Cow Girl. "And get her to the second floor. And get the other sacrifices!"

Cow Girl's eyes widened as the wizard said that and tears found their way to her eyes. Panic rose in her chest as she feared that Goblin Slayer will arrive too late to save her.

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of this chapter. Our heroes are finally confronting their foes. You can expect the next chapter to be wild.**

**See you next time!**


	18. 17 The Eye of the Storm

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Whoa! Now, this is the longest chapter I've written for the story! It honestly didn't feel right to have any less. Well, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Now to reviews.**

**Dracus6: Well, that story isn't happening for a long while.**

**DeathTheManiac: Oh, yes she is. And to find out about her fate you just have to read this chapter.**

**And thanks for the suggestions. Much appreciated.**

**Guest: Well, I wouldn't exactly call it lucky.**

**And I'm pretty sure I've established that Shevatas isn't a simple thief as you think he is. Conan explained within the same chapter just how good the man is.**

* * *

The Eye of the Storm

It was evening as the members of the Adventurer's Guild rode on horseback through one of the roads which Tat Shevatas used, with him being tracked by a magic symbol Goblin Slayer planted on his sword when they fought. Hardly any sound was made beside the clomping of many hooves on the ground.

The faces of the Adventurers were filled with determination, some more than others like Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer, Conan, now carrying his saber due to his broadsword still on repair along with his axe due him cutting so many goblins the at the Dark Elf fight, but most of all, Goblin Slayer. He was completely focused on the task in front of them, with his lover being kidnapped and them not having too much time left if Conan's warnings were valid, which he was pretty sure were. His hands tightened on the reigns at the mere thought of that. He wasn't going to lose her. Or anyone, ever again.

Conan, riding his own black stallion in front of the group, cast a glance at Goblin Slayer. Despite him being once again fully armored Conan could tell what he felt. He knew the feeling well, too well. And he similarly made such pursuits before but ended in failures as well as successes. He honestly wasn't sure which was more prominent.

They rode an hour or two more, the Sun already beginning to set. Conan looked up to see the setting sun before rising his hand and pulling the reigns on his horse, causing it to stop trotting. The others followed his example, also stopping on their horses, as being signaled by Conan who was voted by others to lead them through the mission.

Conan pointed at an open field. "Let's make camp here! Time for rest until dawn!" he exclaimed before getting off his horse.

Goblin Slayer rode next to Conan. "We can still cover more distance. Rest can come later," his voice sounded calm but Conan knew that he was impatient.

Conan shook his head. "We won't do any good if we arrive tired. Even Shevatas takes rest, but we definitely won't catch up to him even if we move on." Conan then pulled his horse to tie it up while Goblin Slayer silently scoffed before getting off his horse.

The others followed suit and took out their camping equipment. Soon, tents were out around the grassy plain and fires were started for cooking and providing illumination in the dark night.

Goblin Slayer sat in front of one of the flames, his mind coming up with scenarios on how to defeat Shevatas and rescue Cow Girl. He may have been tired when they fought, but he could tell that even if he was fully rested that Shevatas wouldn't have been an easy opponent. The man was strong, quick, had good skill with a sword and knew how to exploit weaknesses. Goblin Slayer knew that the only reason he was still alive was because Shevatas was in a hurry and whoever he was working for wanted him back as quick as possible, based on what the thief was saying before. He needed to be careful when they face each other again, he won't have that luck next time.

"Hey," exclaimed a deep voice, causing Goblin Slayer to turn his head and see that Conan sat next to him. "I know you want to save her as quickly as you can. Believe me, I know the feeling," Conan said with a lower tone as his mind went to the past. "I believe I told you this, but a woman I loved, Mala, was also kidnapped. I tried with all my might to help her, to get to her as quickly as I could. But once I did it was too late. She killed herself as to not be a plaything for a Vanir leader. I ended up killing the bastard who did it but Mala couldn't be saved." He then turned to face Goblin Slayer.

"I… see," Goblin Slayer said. Yes, he did recall Conan saying the story before but more as an example for his world view. "So, why are you telling the story now?"

Conan's face then became serious. "To let you know that I would never let the same thing happen. Not again."

Goblin Slayer looked at him wide-eyed. He could see that Conan understood, almost too perfectly. And that is the reason why he also felt sadness. He knew what Conan said was only one example of what he has been through, making Goblin Slayer's tragedy seem… pretty weak in comparison.

Goblin Slayer then put his hand on Conan's shoulder. "Thank you for that. You didn't need to convince me but… thank you," he said as he smiled beneath his helmet. "And… I'm sorry for what happened to you."

Now it was Conan's turn to smile. "No need to feel sorry. I grieved and lamented in the past, and I'm over that now," Conan said before Goblin Slayer put his hand away. "Oh, and remove that helmet already."

That caused Goblin Slayer to blink before he realized that he was indeed still wearing that helmet. "Oh, sorry," he said before undoing the strap beneath his chin and taking the helmet off. "I guess old habits still hang over me."

Conan gave a chuckle. He still found the young man pretty amusing. Then another thing came to his mind. "Tell me, did you meet with Guild Girl before we departed?"

"Actually, yes I did."

* * *

_Goblin Slayer and Guild Girl stood outside the Adventurer's Guild, standing in front of each other. Guild Girl looked worried and sad at him; hearing about what happened to him only hours ago and how they were immediately leaving._

_"So, you are going to save her?" she asked as she clasped her hands at her hip level._

_"You know I have to," Goblin Slayer answered before looking sadly at her. "I'm sorry about that, but it's something I have to do."_

_"Yes, I understand that," she said before looking him directly in his eyes, and he looked back. The emotions going through their heads were visible to each other. She then grasped him by the neck and he put his hands around her hips before they kissed. After about a minute they separated. "Just… promise me that you'll come back. Both of you."_

_Goblin Slayer gave her a nod. "I promise," he said before kissing her again. "I'll see you soon."_

_And with that, he walked away. But not before giving her a wave which she returned. It was time to go._

* * *

"I see," Conan said. "Well, I guess I have more of a reason to keep you alive through this," Conan said with a hint of humor. "Otherwise I may as well come back to a slow and painful death."

Goblin Slayer gave a chuckle at that. It honestly surprised him that someone like Conan would be the one to brighten the mood. It would appear that it was true when people say don't judge a book by its cover.

"And one more thing," Conan said making Goblin Slayer curious. "Go talk to your companions. They are worried about you." Conan then pointed towards Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman and Priestess, who were located at one of the fires nearby, each one casting a glance at Conan and Goblin Slayer every now and then.

"Oh, right," Goblin Slayer said before rising up. "I'll do that. Thanks again." He then walked towards his team to assure them he was alright.

Conan watched him leave with a smile. He felt a sense of pride build up in him. Goblin Slayer really was different from the time they first met. Perhaps Conan saw a bit of himself in him, something that made him feel close to him. Perhaps Witch was right, he really did act like Goblin Slayer was his son.

"Well, he sure handles himself well now," Conan heard someone say behind him and saw Amazon Warrior standing there with her axe hanging on her shoulder. "I gotta say, he went far from the brat that came in the Guild five years ago."

Conan raised an eyebrow. He never actually asked how long he was adventuring. Though, he did know that Goblin Slayer was twenty years old. Doing the simple math Conan's face was adorned with a grin.

The Amazon noticed the grin that appeared on his face not long after she said that and that got her curious. "Something you find amusing about that?"

"Well, that meant he started being an adventurer at fifteen. I actually had my first real fight when I was fifteen when Aquilonians went to invade Cimmeria. After that, I found out how much I loved to fight and went on my own adventures," Conan explained making Amazon Warrior look somewhat intrigued by that.

The muscular woman then laughed a bit. "Well, isn't that a coincidence. Or maybe fate brought you two together," she added as she gave a shrug. "Regardless, the point is that he is definitely better than he was before. Though, you're definitely played a part in that." She then sat down next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Say, we have some time to kill. Why don't you join me?"

Conan looked at Goblin Slayer to see how his talk was going and saw his teammates looking happy at him, High Elf Archer wrapping her arm around his shoulder and Dwarf Shaman giving him a pat on the back. Priestess looked the happiest of them, Conan hoped she can soon make her move on him. He obviously wasn't needed now.

Conan then turned back to the Amazon. "I'm all for it." She grinned back before the two stood up and walked away to one of the tents.

* * *

The next day, the tracking magic indicated that Shevatas stopped moving which made Conan give an order to hurry up. After crossing a significant distance they saw a temple in the distance, which made Conan order them to stop. He called on Witch to clarify if that was where Shevatas was located. After getting a confirmation that it was, he ordered them to abandon their horses, as they would be too noticeable and quickly dismounted.

Right now, they were walking through the forest located near the temple, as silently and cautiously as possible but quickly as it was already afternoon and they will lose light. Conan decided to split them into three groups. One was led by him, while the other two were led by other experienced scouts. Conan's group consisted of Heavy Warrior and his team, Spearman, Goblin Slayer, Young Warrior, Rookie Warrior, Apprentice Cleric, High Elf Archer, and Female Martial Artist.

After that, they were on caution for any possible enemy attacks, since they didn't know just how numerous the enemies were. They walked silently through parts of the forest that weren't walked through, which meant they didn't follow any trails towards the temple. They passed trees, walked through bushes and over fallen branches, getting nearer their destination though it was hard to say for many just how much nearer.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous," exclaimed Spearman as he rubbed his face in annoyance and impatience. "I'm not the type to sneak around; I'm a man of action."

"By Crom, be quiet!" Conan growled out though quietly. "This is a necessary action, so no complaining."

Spearman just gave a sigh at that, even though he knew Conan was right.

Then Conan suddenly came to a stop and raised his hand to his head level with his fingers outstretched which made them quickly stop before Conan clenched his fingers into a fist which made them go hide behind trees or duck behind or into bushes.

Suddenly they could hear movement not too far in front of them; a sound of footsteps could be heard along with some whispers, making them slightly tense. Conan moved his head slightly above the bush as to not be too noticeable, with the rest of them trying as well to have a look. Conan then saw several people dressed in armor and armed with weapons, but he could say that they weren't from the Adventurer's Guild since he pretty much memorized who was with them. Then they were also followed by several not so human creatures only Conan recognized as Apemen, creatures resembling humans but with more ape features and more body hair than humans possessed, and some goblins as well, eleven enemies in total.

Conan knew that they had little time. The Apemen had pretty good noses and they would be able to smell them soon. Conan pulled up his fist and extended his index and middle finger in the air before pointing them at the enemies in front of them.

High Elf Archer sprung up from her hiding place, her bow aimed at the enemy group and two arrows notched. She let the arrows fly, embedding themselves into skulls of two Apemen. Before they could properly react to two of their comrades being taken down, the rest of the group also quickly came out of their hiding places and attacked the enemy group. Goblin Slayer got rid of two goblins, Female Martial Artist kicked a man in the skull hard and killed him, Female Knight pierced a woman that went for a slash through the heart, Rookie Warrior and Half-Elf Fighter pierced an Apeman with their swords, killing him. Conan quickly beheaded one of the men that went for an attack, Spearman then pierced the last Apeman through the skull, Young Warrior taking out the last Goblin with a sword through the chest and Heavy Warrior took out the last human by smashing his head with his sword.

Conan swung his saber to get rid of the blood. "We need to hurry and keep a low profile. If we run into a group of more Apemen then we will have to kill them. They will be able to track us with their senses. Go," Conan said in a quick tone and immediately moved away from the slaughter sight which prompted the rest of them to follow.

Conan and the group moved swiftly but quietly through the forest, even more on the lookout for enemies. They found another enemy group, five this time. Three humans, one troll and a single Apeman. Even a single one was a problem so they disposed of the five of them quickly before resuming their way.

Though there were a few thoughts still plaguing their minds. Why on Earth were the humans and those monsters working together? That wasn't something normal, and even alliances between monsters were very unlikely. So what was going on? There were also questions like what were those Apemen, but Conan knew the answer he just didn't have time to explain right now.

They arrived towards the end of the forest without any interruption this time and saw the grassy field that surrounded the temple. They observed the place and saw that there were several more monsters at the entrance and a few other points across the field.

They waited for a few moments. This was the rendezvous point, with each of the groups tasked to get at the edge of the forest near the temple's front door, mostly because they had no idea if the temple had any other doors and there didn't seem to be a good window to climb through leaving the front door as the only option.

Conan narrowed his eyes. Dark was falling soon and he needed to hear the signal as soon as possible, he already saw Goblin Slayer start to shake and he felt that the young man would rush in, signal or not.

Then they slowly heard it, a sound of a cricket. Usually, that wouldn't be anything special, but the sounds made by this cricket were different from the usual ones, being deeper and lasting longer, belonging to a species of crickets native on one of the islands surrounding this continent, not anywhere on it. That sound was a perfect signal, and each group was added with a whistle that produced sounds of this special cricket.

Yet another sound of the cricket whistle was heard and Conan turned to Scout Boy who gave him a nod and took out a whistle of his own and blew in it, producing yet another cricket sound, now three sounding in the air making the people and monsters that guarded the temple look around curiously.

High Elf Archer took out her bow and arrow and took a shot at one of the men at the field, hitting him in the throat and making the other guards around him look in complete shock. Several other projectiles came out of the forest, be it arrows or spells thrown. Several of them hit the guards but many either avoided or blocked the assault.

And that was the perfect sign, as Conan and most of his team quickly rose up and charged at them. They noticed that the rest of the fighters from other groups came from two other different directions and charged at the guards.

It wasn't much of a battle at first. The guards outside retaliated as much as they could, but the adventurers had bigger numbers and the element of surprise. They took out quite a few of the guards at their sudden assault, already making quite a bit of progress towards the temple.

However, the double doors of the temple opened and out swarmed the even more humans and monsters, but this time with weapons drawn and battle-ready, and they made a counter charge at the adventurers, some trolls left behind for a moment to close the doors.

The adventurers and the temple guards clashed, adventurers battling men and monsters alike, clanging of metal and battle cries permeated the field. Conan pierced a man through the skull and threw him away. He looked toward the entrance of the temple, left vulnerable for them to go through.

"Hiiiyaaa!" he heard someone yell behind him and saw Amazon Warrior decapitate a troll before turning to him. "Listen, you, Goblin Slayer and several you take with you will go into the temple!" She blocked a sword strike from a woman that tried to blindside her and hit her with the axe handle before finishing her off with a cleaving axe strike. "We don't have much time! Whatever they are planning for Cow Girl may already be happening!"

"Right!" Conan exclaimed back before looking at his team, who didn't have High Elf Archer with them as she provided support from the distance. "The ten of us should be enough! Let's go inside!"

The rest of the group finished off their enemies or let someone else fight them to rejoin Conan and run straight towards the temple doors. They met with some resistance but they powered through it and reached the entrance. Conan and Heavy Warrior put their hands on the doors and letting out a few grunts, pushed the door open.

They quickly went inside the temple, with Conan looking over the decorations adorning the room, a snake motif he was all too familiar with and something he suspected might have been the cause. A sign of the worshipers of Set. Was Thoth-Amon behind this? He doubted it since there was essentially no reason for Stygian wizard to be here.

When they got closer to one of the entrances, several armed and armored men and women came out of one of them, pointing their weapons at Conan and his group.

"You're not going any further," a voice came from behind the entrance before the owner of the voice came out.

That person was tall, just as tall as Conan was, but had a leaner in build. He was dressed in rich and ornate clothes though you could see some chainmail beneath it, he wore white baggy pants and brown boots. His head was covered by a turban but his hawk-like face adorned with a thin mustache was left uncovered. In his hand, he also held a one-handed scimitar leaving the sheath on his hip empty.

The man's eyes landed on the group but when he saw Conan his gained a shocked expression, an expression Conan also gained when he saw who this man was.

The man then narrowed his eyes as they were filled with fury as he looked at Conan and his teeth began to grit. "You," the man said angrily as his scimitar went in front of him, making the people here look confused.

Conan's shocked expression disappeared before his gaze also narrowed. "So, there is yet another dead man walking, eh, captain Zaporavo?"

The now-named Zaporavo let a grumble as the grip on his sword tightened. "Oh, believe me, you'll be the dead one this time, barbarian."

"Conan, who is this guy?" Female Knight asked as it was obvious the two men knew each other, even if it seemed not on the best terms.

"He is a Zingarian captain of the ship called Wastrel, a pirate named Zaporavo. And also the man I personally killed," Conan explained getting shocked looks from his team. "And apparently brought back to life like Shevatas was."

"Well, from what I've heard, not only did you kill me, you took my ship, my crew and my woman for yourself," Zaporavo said, gaining slightly more growl in his voice as he said each point.

Conan chuckled at him. "Your crew respected me more, and she was getting tired of you anyway. You were just a waste of space," Conan taunted making the former captain's eyes narrow even more.

Zaporavo turned to his men. "You deal with the others," he said before his eyes locking with Conan's. "Leave the barbarian to me."

Spearman got next to Conan with a grin on his face. "You know what, leave this to me. I think this guy might be a dec-"

Conan put his arm in front of Spearman. "No, you won't," Conan said with a serious tone. "This man is more than your match. His skills with the sword are unparalleled from where I come from. I'll take him on, the rest of you would be severely outmatched. Just how he realizes that his men would be outmatched against me."

Zaporavo gave a grin. "So you are smarter than I thought. Even you can recognize the odds," the pirate said. "But this time I'm ready for your savagery. You won't catch me off guard like you did before. You won't get passed through here alive. None of you."

Conan then closed his eyes, making Zaporavo look at him confused. Conan focused on his senses of hearing and smell, and after a few moments, his suspicions were confirmed. Conan quickly pointed at one of the tapestries. "Go there! Zaporavo and his men are leading us on a false trail!" that shocked everyone in the room, Zaporavo and his men for being found out, and Conan's allies for being deceived. "Go, hurry! I'll handle Zaporavo here!"

The group nodded before running towards the tapestry, with Female Knight cutting it with her sword revealing a secret entrance that led downstairs.

"Hurry, you fools! After them!" Zaporavo exclaimed to his men who quickly followed, with Conan not attacking them as to not take his eyes off the man he previously killed. "So, it comes down to just the two of us once again."

"I don't know what witchcraft brought you back, and I don't care," Conan said he readied his saber to fight. "But I'll make sure to cut you into tiny pieces so they'll never bring you back again!"

"You're dying this time, you barbarian swine!"

The two men charged at each other, and the clashing of steel rang through the hall they were in.

* * *

The rest of the group ran downstairs of the entrance Conan pointed out. They could hear the footsteps of Zaporavo's men behind them but they ignored them as they were more focused on getting downstairs.

They were able to see the light at the bottom of the stairs and hurried their pace, with Goblin Slayer being at the front. They shortly arrived through the entrance, and they were met by a sight of a cave-like room the size of a hall that was lit with many torches, which explained why it took a while for them to arrive down.

But the thing that caught their eyes was the slope in the middle of the room, on it were drawn some red intricate symbols that led to the top. And on that top, they saw something that caused their eyes to widen. On it stood a seemingly unnaturally tall robed man with bandaged hands holding a bloody knife in his hand with a hood obscuring his face, which the group assumed was the wizard that was causing all of this. Beneath him were several tied up and gagged girls who were all stripped of clothing, ten in total. Seven lay unmoving while among the three left… was Cow Girl!

Goblin Slayer's eyes widened when he saw her, and she noticed him as well as she struggled against her restrains though without success.

The robed figure let out a growl. "Is no one competent in this age? Shevatas, hold them off!" the wizard commanded and the group was greeted by a sight of the mentioned Shevatas, to whom Goblin Slayer sent a deathly glare, and over a dozen more men, goblins, and Apemen.

"As you wish, master," the master thief said as he pulled out his sword.

"No time, we need to power through," whispered Heavy Warrior as he saw the situation in front of them and the sound of footsteps behind them that were getting louder.

"Right!" Goblin Slayer exclaimed before rushing towards their enemies with the others following him. Shevatas also ran towards Goblin Slayer planning to finish the job he started.

While on the slope, the wizard grabbed one of the girls by the head and ignored her muffled cries before slashing her throat, making the blood flow out and the red symbols beneath to glow red for a few moments. Just two more.

Goblin Slayer and Shevatas clashed with their blades, Shevatas put more strength into his push and moved Goblin Slayer back but to Shevatas' surprise, Goblin Slayer didn't go for a counter-attack. Instead, he jumped into the air in a crouching position before a huge sword appeared beneath him, making him land on it. Heavy Warrior smirked as he swung his sword with Goblin Slayer on it which catapulted him right above the men and monsters towards the top of the slope.

The wizard prepared to slash another girls throat, who happened to be Cow Girl who was quivering in fear as tears went down her eyes. The wizard then heard something soaring through the air, causing him to stop what he was doing and look up. "What-" before he could say any more he was hit in the face with a front of Goblin Slayer's shield causing him to drop the knife and fall backwards down the slope with a pained yell.

Goblin Slayer landed on his feet, the momentum of the improvised move stopped when he slammed into the wizard and knocked him down. He looked down and saw the sprawled form of the wizard near the bottom of the slope, seemingly unconscious. He then quickly ran to where Cow Girl was tied and saw her looking at him, tears in her eyes but out of happiness this time. He removed her gag and slashed her binds, making the girl quickly grasp him in a hug.

"You came for me. I knew you would," she whispered to him.

He briefly returned the hug before breaking it and grabbing Cow Girl by the shoulders. "Sorry, but we don't have much time. We need to quickly get out of here."

Then Scout Boy came on the top where they were located which made Goblin Slayer look at him surprised though it wasn't seen because of his helmet. "I was able to bypass them and get here! The ones chasing us came but they have things under control," Scout Boy quickly explained as he pointed towards the rest of their group fighting the enemies, with Tat Shevatas being occupied by Female Knight, with them seemingly even as they clashed swords. "You carry Cow Girl, and I'll carry this one." Scout Boy then went to unbind the last girl who began to look relieved.

Goblin Slayer gave a nod before turning back to Cow Girl. "I'll carry you out of here. So you can-"

He was interrupted when he heard a muffled grunt next to him. He quickly turned and saw that Scout Boy had a snake biting at his neck as a pained expression adorned his face making Goblin Slayer look surprised. Where did that snake come from? He looked towards where that wizard was and saw him now standing and halfway up the slope while he retracted his hand back, which wasn't bandaged anymore, showing his bony fingers. The wizard's hood was also down, revealing his skull-like head with barely any flesh on it, and he couldn't exactly tell but it appeared the wizard was glaring.

Scout Boy cut the snakes head off before taking it off his neck, but suddenly green veins started spreading from his neck throughout his head, he seemingly tried to gasp for air but no sound came out before dropped on the floor next to the now horrified girl, his frozen expression indicating his death.

Goblin Slayer grumbled before quickly grabbing Cow Girl and hoisting her over his shoulder making her yelp. He would normally carry her piggyback but this was faster and he needed to get to the other girl as quickly as he could before the Wizard reached them. But when he turned toward the other girl he saw a knife sticking out of her throat. The girl held a shocked expression as tears came from her eyes before she also slumped the dead next to Scout Boy, with the symbols once again glowing red for a few moments.

But when Goblin Slayer got a good look at the throwing knife he recognized it. He quickly glanced at his small sheaths and saw that one of the knives was missing. He turned his gaze down and saw Shevatas smirking at him, with Female Knight occupied by one of Shevatas' men for a moment before she quickly finished him and went back to fighting the thief.

Goblin Slayer's rage at the man grew once again. He then saw that the Wizard is already next to the top of the slope which made Goblin Slayer react fast as he swiftly ran down the slope using gravity to his full advantage. He heard the Wizard growl atop the slope, but ignored it and focused on running towards a spot that wasn't occupied by battle.

The wizard glared from his spot on the rocky slope. He was so close to finishing the ritual and these people now ruined it. Though there was still a way he could salvage the situation. He wasn't a wizard and a high priest of Set for nothing after all. And he certainly wasn't going to let all the work go to waste.

The wizard then reached into his robes and took out a handful of the fiery-orange seeds. His face morphed into a smirk, or as close to a smirk as it could before his moved his hand over his head.

Meanwhile, Heavy Warrior was blocking an attack from one of the men who wielded a heavy Warhammer. They held a brief contest of strength before Heavy Warrior pushed the Warhammer to the side and shoulder-slammed him and knocking him down. But before he could finish him, he noticed something in the corner of his eyes and saw the wizard on the slope seemed to be ready to throw something.

Knowing that this might be a very bad sigh he yelled. "Watch out!"

* * *

Conan and Zaporavo continued exchanging blows with their swords. Expertly blocking, deflecting and countering each other's attacks. Conan had to admit the man was good, just as good as he speculated the man would be. The last time they fought Zaporavo was surprised by the speed and strength and pure savagery of Conan which gave Conan quite an advantage in that battle made him win their duel quickly.

That wasn't the case this time. Zaporavo was prepared for Conan's way of fighting and adapted quite well, keeping more distance and countering and attacking only at the right times. Zaporavo's skill was definitely greater than his own but Conan's speed and strength balanced the odds.

Conan went for a thrust which Zaporavo sidestepped before countering by a slash to the head which Conan swiftly blocked. He countered with his own slash to the head that was ducked by Zaporavo who swiped at Conan's legs that Conan swiftly blocked by turning his sword downwards.

The two men continued fighting, their attacks going at such speeds that normal eye wouldn't be able to follow.

"Come on, barbarian! You fight like a Pict!" Zaporavo taunted as he blocked Conan's strike.

"And you fight like a Zamoran slut!" Conan taunted as he deflected a downward slash, to which Zaporavo just grumbled.

Conan proceeded to block several swift strikes from the pirate aimed at his legs, head, and torso before pushing away the man's scimitar with his saber and going for a vertical strike at the man's which Zaporavo just barely blocked.

Then they suddenly heard something that sounded like an explosion and the floor started shaking making them stop for a moment as both of the swordsmen gained a surprised look.

Conan quickly deduced from where the explosion came from. From the very place he sent his team! He quickly ran towards the secret entrance so he could rejoin them.

"And where do you think you're going?!" yelled Zaporavo as he ran after Conan.

Zaporavo then went for a thrusting motion to which Conan turned back to block the strike but the blade of the scimitar slid along his saber's and cut him on the shoulder. Conan winced at moved but then proceeded to give a quick but mighty backhand on Zaporavo's face, to which the man grunted as he was knocked down on the floor.

Conan then ignored the downed pirate as he ran into the entrance to help his allies. He needed to get there as swiftly as possible.

Zaporavo let out a painful moan before rising and putting his hand on his head, the pain reminding him just how strong the barbarian truly was.

Zaporavo's painful expression turned into a glare as he gazed on the secret entrance. He picked up his sword and ran after the barbarian, determined to get his revenge.

* * *

During all of that, the battle that raged outside the temple was a big one. The remaining enemy forces that were located within the forest came back to assist their allies, but the members of the Adventurer's Guild still held strong, the odds being even despite the fact they were outmatched.

The field was now filled with corpses of both humans and monsters alike, and the smell of blood permeated the area. The people that were cut down further adding to that.

Amazon Warrior cut down another man as she panted. This was getting exhausting. They may have held strong but they still suffered casualties. A third of the adventurers that came here were now dead. But they still took down just as many of the enemies.

Another one went to strike her with his battle axe but she blocked him. She then heard someone coming from behind her and moved the side but she felt something slashing at her side as pain spread to her, making her grunt.

She then moved away from her enemies and saw that a woman wielding a spear that was now coated with her blood. The Amazon then put a hand at her bleeding side and readied her axe for a fight. However, she was panting and sweat dripped down her forehead. Whatever Conan and the others were doing they better do it quick. She and the other adventurers won't be able to hold on much longer.

* * *

The secret cave-like room was now filled with the smell of smoke and charred corpses. The ground in front of the slope was blackened and adorned with bodies, most of which were of the enemies but one was of Young Warrior who was caught close to the blast.

Heavy Warrior growled in anger. He was able to move away from the explosion enough as to not suffer too much damage along with Female Knight, but the rest of his allies weren't so lucky. He saw the charred body of Young Warrior, Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl were pushed aside by the explosion but they weren't damaged too much since they were further away and they were slowly rising to their feet. Female Martial Artist was knocked to the side, knocked out as her head was bleeding from being hit on a rock. Rookie Warrior and Spearman were also damaged, Spearman having almost half of his face burned while his arm was twisted in an unnatural position and his armor blackened, and Rookie Warrior had his top clothes burned off with some heavy burns on his torso.

Both of them were attended by Druid Girl and Apprentice Cleric, due to them being healing support they kept their distance and didn't suffer that much from the explosion. Apprentice Cleric helped her partner with Minor Heal on his burns to which he moaned in pain and Druid Girl tried using her own Minor Heal on Spearman.

Shevatas was also knocked on the ground by the explosions, knowing what his master has planned he moved out of the way but still, the force knocked him back and gave him a broken leg, which he found out when he tried to rise up. He wasn't angry at his master for that move, in fact, he probably deserved it since he is the one who accidentally brought these people here.

Female Knight was able to move away thanks to Heavy Warrior's warning and block most of the attack with her shield with the only damage being her cape being burned off. She then sent an angry glare to the wizard, ready to tear him apart for what he did.

The said wizard stood there satisfied as he looked at his handiwork. As he hoped, the armored man and the girl were relatively unharmed though dazed while most of their allies were dead or incapacitated. The two that were still left standing might be a problem but he was prepared to deal with them as well.

Conan then entered the room and saw the situation that his allies were in. He was happy to see Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl safe, but his eyed narrowed in anger as he saw the bodies of Young Warrior and Scout Boy and his injured allies.

But when his eyes gazed upon the wizard located atop the slope they widened as he saw a familiar figure. Yet another person that he thought was dead.

The wizard then looked at the new arrival and his own eyes would have widened but there wasn't much of his eyelids left for that. But he recognized the person in front of him, the same one who foiled his plans when he kidnapped princess Yasmela and the one that killed him by throwing a sword into his chest.

"So we meet again, you batter-brained jackal," the wizard said in a louder tone so Conan could hear him.

Conan then gritted his teeth. "So you are the one behind all this mess, Thugra Khotan?" he growled out as he glared murderously at the green-robed wizard.

The wizard, Thugra Khotan, gave a chuckle. "Indeed I am. And it would seem that fate brought you back to me."

Heavy Warrior and Female Knight looked surprised. So this evil wizard was also a man Conan knew. This situation was very strange, though their anger didn't subside.

"I don't care what you think this is. Fate or coincidence, it doesn't matter," Conan said as he readied his sword. "Because you die either way!" he exclaimed out before giving a Cimmerian yell and charging at the wizard, speeding past Heavy Warrior and Female Knight who were actually surprised by how fast he was going.

The wizard began to use his magic. The bandages on his arms began to unravel before he threw them down as they turned into three giant snakes. One of them lunged at Conan but he was able to cut its head off. Another longed at him but blocked it with a sword on its fangs while he grabbed the other one by the neck as it tried to bite him.

He cut off the head of the snake he was holding while blocking yet another bite from the last snake before swiftly decapitating that one as well.

He then quickly charged at Thugra Khotan so that the wizard didn't have time to cast any of his spells. As he tried to cut down the towering wizard with a downward slash, Khotan surprised him by actually grabbing his arm before it could finish its descent. He then tried punching the wizard with his iron-like fist but he was further surprised as that one was caught as well.

"Do not… think… me weak, barbarian," Thugra Khotan said between grunts as it became a test of strength between the two, with Conan actually shocked that the wizard was so strong. Though as good as he was Conan was still stronger and would definitely win the strength contest as the two continued pushing against each with both of them grunting.

The two still battle-ready adventurers were ready to interfere, seeing that this was a perfect opportunity to finish off this wizard. But that plan came to a halt as they saw Zaporavo come out of the entrance as he looked around and spotted Conan grappling with his master.

He was about to go and help but Heavy Warrior and Female Knight stood in front of him, with their weapons drawn.

"Sorry, but you'll have to get passed us," Female Knight said as she glared at the pirate.

Zaporavo only smirked at the two and pointed his scimitar at them. "Then I shall do just that," he said before he charged at them.

He went for a horizontal strike at Female Knight which she blocked with her shield. Heavy Warrior then went for a downward strike hoping to finish this fight quickly, but Zaporavo moved to the side with the massive blade missing him by few centimeters before he struck Heavy Warriors face with his elbow making him bleed from the nose and pushing him away a fair distance.

Female Knight gasped at what she saw before steeling herself and going for an attack of her own. She used a flurry of strikes at Zaporavo who proceeded to block every single one. Zaporavo then responded by his own flurry of even faster strikes which Female Warrior barely managed block with her shield and sword as she was being pushed back. When the latest strike came she went for a block but Zaporavo stopped his sword before swiftly swiping at her legs causing her fall on her back after which she grunted in pain.

Zaporavo then stood above her going for a strike at her head before he heard clanging of steel boots on the rock floor. He turned around and saw Heavy Warrior about to strike him but Zaporavo avoided the by backing away. Heavy Warrior continued his assault, but each strike was avoided by Zaporavo.

As Heavy Warrior prepared for another strike by pulling both of his hands behind his head Zaporavo moved forward so fast that Heavy Warrior didn't have time to properly react, only moving his sword halfway down before Zaporavo was in front of him and grabbed him by the arm, stopping the descent of his sword. Heavy Warrior then saw Zaporavo's scimitar position in front of his head but wasn't able to do anything about it as the pirate quickly plunged the sword through his neck with the blade going through the back of it.

Zaporavo smirked as saw that the result of his strategy went perfectly. He then took out his sword out of his opponent's neck causing blood to spurt out. Heavy Warrior dropped his sword on the ground leaving a loud clang to echo through the room as his hand went to his bleeding neck.

Druid Girl, Apprentice Cleric, Spearman, and Rookie Warrior, who regained consciousness, and even Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl, who was held by her lover, looked at the scene in shock. Female Knight's expression stood out among them. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open as tears went to her eyes.

Heavy Warrior let out a few gurgling sounds as his hands were still on his neck before fell face-first to the ground, blood continuing to flow from his neck.

"NOOOOOO!" Female Knight yelled as tears fell from her eyes.

This got Conan's attention while continued to struggle with the wizard as he looked back to see Zaporavo, who he thought he knocked out, standing over the now dead Heavy Warrior.

Thugra Khotan saw the opportunity of Conan being distracted as he brought his foot up and kicked the barbarian causing him to grunt before he fell and began to slide down the red-marked slope.

"Pay attention, barbarian," taunted the wizard as he Conan pushed himself back up before he could slide the full length. Khotan then brought his hands together as a fireball began to form in the space between them. "Or you'll join him sooner than you think." He then pushed his hand forward shooting the fireball towards Conan which forced him to jumped back to avoid being hit by it, finding himself back at the bottom.

Zaporavo then turned his attention back to Female Knight who was now glaring daggers at him, her grip on the sword tightening. He was about to charge at her too but then he heard a sound of soft humming. He then reached into his robes, causing Female Knight to tense, but to her surprise he took out a small crystal ball that glowed purple.

Zaporavo wondered at why was the ball humming. It was a magical object that helped him track the girls that were necessary for his ritual, ones that were deemed to have just the right amount of energy for it to work. He looked behind him and saw Goblin Slayer help the girl Shevatas brought with him.

Goblin Slayer noticed that and quickly put Cow Girl back on his shoulder and ran into the entrance that went away from the room. Zaporavo was about to give pursuit but noticed something strange. The ball's glow didn't diminish. If the target went further away the glow would diminish more the further it was away.

He then realized it wasn't showing him that girl. But before he could ponder more on that he heard someone swiftly approach him. Not struggling to guess he avoided the stabbing strike of Female Knight that was filled with rage therefore unfocused before hitting her on the head with the pommel of his sword, to which she let out a slight yell before falling to the ground.

Zaporavo saw that ball didn't glow any brighter, so she wasn't the one. He then turned to the other women here and noticed Druid Girl who looked at him with a scared expression. He held out the ball towards her and saw the ball shine brighter. He smirked as he quickly walked over her.

Spearman saw the man walk towards them, he glared at him and reached for his spear. The moment Zaporavo got close Spearman thrust at him with his spear which Zaporavo saw just in time to grab it. He glared down at Spearman and kicked him in the face before quickly grabbing the girl who tried to make a run for it.

"Holy Smite!" Zaporavo heard the other girl yell before moving his head away from the incoming projectile of energy. He glared at the girl who now looked scared and shocked her one time only attack missed.

Zaporavo then ignored her and ran towards the slope where his master was fighting Conan, who continued dodging the wizard's fireballs. Not wanting to risk Conan possibly getting to him before he could reach his master, once he reached the bottom of the slope he called out. "Master!" before grabbing the girl with both hands and positioning her at his side. "Catch!" he then threw the girl with all his might up there as the girl screamed.

Khotan, who heard his servant's call, looked as the girl landed at his feet with a painful grunt. He then grabbed Druid who yelped in fear before placing her in front of him and quickly grabbing the knife that he dropped when Goblin Slayer hit him.

"No!" Conan yelled before running towards Khotan to stop him but the wizard didn't give him enough time before slashing the girl's throat and pushing her roughly on the floor with the other ones.

Then, the symbols on the slope shone very bright red, making Conan stop and everyone else's attention was brought to that place. A red glow was seen also coming from Khotan's chest before going upwards as the Red Gem that he put in a necklace floated out of his robe.

The room then started to shake, the symbols grew blindingly bright and a sudden whirlwind surrounded Thugra Khotan.

"YES!" the wizard loudly exclaimed before he was completely enveloped in a red glow, the whirlwind around him blowing harder than before.

Conan tried to walk up towards Khotan, to stop whatever madness was happening, but even his strength couldn't stand up to the mighty winds before he flung back. The rest of them could only watch in horror while Shevatas and Zaporavo smirked.

The winds lasted for a while and glow continued shining brightly, making them cover their eyes. Spearman and Rookie Warrior recovered enough to get to their feet.

After a while, the winds resided and the red glow disappeared from the symbols along with the symbols themselves. When the red light disappeared form Thugra Khotan, it revealed a seemingly different person. Instead of a skull face with barely any flesh on it, now there was a normal head with tanned skin, long black hair and a black pointy beard that covered his jawline and chin. He also seemed to properly fill out his robe, his visible hands and feet were now completely unbandaged and restored to normal form.

The newly restored Thugra Khotan took a deep breath before giving a look at his arms. The feel of completeness permeated his body, he could feel the restored muscles beneath his robe, his magic power has also risen to new heights. The wizard gave a wide smile before letting out a bellowing laugh that could be heard throughout the entire cave-like room, making everyone's blood freeze cold.

After a few moments, he stopped before looked smugly at he still shell-shocked Conan. "No then, what you saw outside was only a fraction of the army I gathered," he said in a smoother voice before putting his hands in front of him. A bright yellow oval appeared before showing a clear vision of monsters and men in a far greater number than what they saw. "What do you say about the rest joining us?"

Conan was actually struck with fear as he slowly backed away, sweat beginning to drip down his head. This wasn't good, if that army came here then they were done for sure. Conan faced impossible odds before, but he knew this was something way above anything he could handle. There was only one thing left to do.

Conan quickly turned towards the survivors before yelling "RUN!" he then quickly sped towards the entrance. The others were shocked to actually hear him say that and the fact that he looked scared. They got over their shock quickly before also running after Conan.

"Don't just stand there! After them!" Thugra Khotan ordered causing a great number of his army to go through the portal. Zaporavo smirked, seeing the barbarian running away in fear bringing him great satisfaction, as ran in front of everyone else to be the first to catch them.

* * *

Conan got out of the secret passageway first and he quickly ran towards one of the pillars located in the temple hall. He then began pushing with all his might, the pillar beginning to crack and break. His companions got out of the passageway and the moment all of them ran out he gave the mightiest push he could.

The pillar broke from its foundation and from the top, causing it to collapse in front of the entrance.

"Hurry, that won't hold them for long!" he exclaimed before running towards the double doors of the temple with the rest in tow. He saw Goblin Slayer standing in front of the doors with Cow Girl as they saw them approached. "Don't ask questions! Grab her, follow us and run!"

Goblin Slayer was confused but quickly complied as they ran through the front door.

The pillar that was collapsed slowly began to move away from the secret passageway.

Once outside, where the night was already there and the adventurers were still fighting the enemy forces, though it appeared that half of each has already been greatly reduced in number.

Everyone's attention was gained as Conan ran out with the rest of the group, or what remained anyway.

"EVERYONE, RETREAT! HURRY!" Conan yelled with all the power his lung could extort.

The adventurers and their enemies stood shocked before the adventurers followed that order and ran into back into the woods, now following the trails within it since that was the only way they could get through the woods in the dark.

Amazon Warrior then ran next to Conan, her wounds healed by a Lizard Priest when he got the opportunity. "What happened there?! Where is the rest of your team?!" she asked as she continued running next to him.

"Dead! And the wizard summoned more troops, far greater in number! We need to get to our horses and get out of here as fast as we can!" Conan explained as he continued running.

He then examined the situation. Goblin Slayer was running alongside his team where Lizard Priest now carried Cow Girl in his arms. Witch and other spellcasters were located at another side as they ran.

Suddenly something whizzed passed before an arrow embedded itself within the skull of one adventurer. The two of them along with others looked behind them and saw some bowmen there. There were more arrows shot which they began to deflect.

Conan looked behind him and saw that the wizard's troops were gaining on them. Several more adventurers fell to the arrows before Conan grumbled out a curse. This wasn't good, at this rate they will catch them before they reach the horses. He turned towards Amazon Warrior. "Go and protect Witch and her group! They need someone to help them against the arrows! And inform them that each should take more than one horse with him and that they spread that order as well!"

"And what will you do?!" she asked as she blocked another arrow.

"I'll provide protection here! Go!" he exclaimed before slashing an arrow with his saber.

The Amazon nodded before hurrying her step and joining Witch and her group.

Conan then looked back. He didn't want to lie to her but he knew she wouldn't let him do what he planned. He turned to Goblin Slayer. "Listen to me!" he called out, gaining the young man's attention. "I'll hold them off, that should give you enough time to reach the horses!"

Goblin Slayer's eyes widened behind his helmet. "But you'll-!"

Conan interrupted him. "I know! But this is the only way!" Conan then turned back and ran at the enemy army. It surprised quite a bit of the as he cut down two men at the same time.

Goblin Slayer looked, his face a mask of sadness beneath his helmet as a tear went down his eye. He knew that Conan was willingly running to his death. He wanted to go with him, but he knew that would only add one more body to the death count. So he pushed the sadness down for a moment and continued running.

* * *

Conan cut down many of them, as the briefly stopped to see what was happening. He didn't care that his life was forfeit! He didn't care if he didn't accomplish everything he wanted! Right now, he needed to make sure they got away and he could buy them enough time for just that.

He continued cutting them down, though he gained quite a few hits and cuts on his body, even two arrows stuck in his shoulder and leg, but he ignored them. He killed a few more before one grabbed him from behind. Conan was about to throw him off but several more came out and dogpiled on him, dropping him on the ground.

Conan struggled but he was at the last of his strengths. He tried pushing them up but then he saw a troll standing over him with a club raised above its head. The troll then swung down his club and Conan's world had gone black.

* * *

The adventurers were able to run back to their horses and wasted no time mounting them. They also made sure to take along yet another so the enemy didn't have any way of following them.

They saw torch lights approaching them, signaling the enemy army was close so they quickly made their escape.

They rode and rode, never stopping. The threat of death looming above them, motivating them through their tiredness as if it wasn't there. They rode for hours. How many exactly, they didn't know and they didn't care.

Many of them wondered what on Earth could have gotten so wrong. The mission was to get Cow Girl and foil another plan of an evil wizard. Seemed simple, but now they were forced to retreat and suffered many losses. The fact that Cow Girl was indeed saved didn't ease the situation.

After a while, they saw that there was no one following them so they stopped their horses. Many let out huge sighs of relief while several slumped on their horses from all the tiredness they felt as the adrenaline left their bodies.

Goblin Slayer got off his horse and walked to the one that carried Cow Girl, who was provided with a brown cloak to cover herself. He then saw her crying and quickly went to see what's wrong.

"Because of me," he heard her mutter through her sobs. "So many of them died because of me."

Goblin Slayer took off his helmet showing the sadness he was feeling. He took Cow Girl down before giving her a big hug which she gladly returned as she continued sobbing. "You aren't to blame," Goblin Slayer said in a comforting tone. "No one could have predicted it." As he spoke his own voice cracked, several tears falling down his own face as he tightened his hug on her. "No one."

Dwarf Shaman sat on the ground with his back resting on his horse's legs. He gave a deep sigh before taking out an alcohol container he had before taking a deep drink. He then looked towards his friend Lizard Priest. "You know what, Scaly, this is something I'd rather not have happen. Ever again."

Lizard Priest looked at Female Knight, who was being comforted by several other adventurers one of which was Spearman. Lizard Priest looked sadly at her. Her loss was great, probably greater than he could imagine. "I agree, my friend," Lizard Priest said in a sad tone.

Priestess and several other healers went tend to the still wounded, while High Elf Archer used bandages along with two other adventurers. It wasn't as good as healing magic but it was something and the mages were running out of magic they could use.

Amazon Warrior looked around, searching for her lover. "Conan!" she called out. "Where are you?! Come on, this isn't funny!"

Several of the adventurers who saw what happened looked sadly at her, not wanting to tell her what happened.

Goblin Slayer walked up to her, Cow Girl sleeping in his arms, with tear marks still visible on her face. "I'm sorry, but…" Goblin Slayer was about to say but he choked down his own sob. "… he stayed behind to hold them back. He gave us more time to escape."

Amazon Warrior looked at him wide-eyed, only now realizing that Conan lied to her. He planned on standing behind and hid the intention behind an order.

Witch, who was within the hearing distance as she went to check if Conan was truly there, also looked shocked, her mouth hanging open and her staff fell on the floor. She put her head down, the shadow of her hat obscuring her face from view. Her shoulders began to shake as she started to sob.

"No," Amazon Warrior silently said before her eyes narrowed and her teeth grit. "That bastard… why did he…?" Tears began flowing down her own eyes. She fell on her and hands, her battle axe beside. "Damn it!" She then punched the floor with her fist leaving some cracks on it, with some of her tears falling on the ground.

A sense of sorrow dominated through every single member of the guild. Or what was left of it. Many of them still coming to terms over the heavy blow they felt. This night, none of them went to sleep easy.

* * *

**AN: And that's a wrap! Oh boy, I feel like I'm gonna get quite a bit of outrage here. I'm sure many of you didn't think it would go in this direction, but I thought that it would fit within the story. Plus, Conan stories did have quite a bit of tragedy in them so I thought I could incorporate some of those here. I hope I didn't upset you too much.**

**And the villain's identity is finally revealed! Now if you don't read Conan books or comics you're probably unfamiliar with him but for those of you who do, yes the villain of the story is indeed Thugra Khotan from the Black Colossus story. The reason I brought him here is because I felt that his death was kind of anti-climatic and the fight with Conan was pretty short. As for why I brought Shevatas and Zaporavo, well, I thought that they had a lot more potential to explore. I mean, Shevatas was described as the greatest thief on earth yet he was killed in the same chapter he was introduced. Zaporavo was described as the greatest swordsman in the world yet he was killed at the beginning of the chapter after the one he was introduced. They seemed quite a big deal but were dealt with quickly so I had incorporated them here.**

**Well, that's all from me for now. See you next time!**


	19. 18 Aftermath

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Well, I honestly thought I would get a lot more negative backlash considering what happened in the last chapter, but your response was honestly pretty tame. But it's nice to see people enjoying themselves. **

**Now to reviews.**

**Gunbladez19: Glad to hear you enjoyed it. And yeah, it does suck but I think it also shows just how serious the situation is.**

**Zealot24: Well, there isn't going to be a detailed list since I pretty much described who died in the last chapter. At least concerning the important characters.**

**And thanks!**

**Dracus6: Well yeah, that part is pretty obvious. And thank you!**

**reality deviant: Considering this looks like a critique of the entire story, I'll respond as such. They do use all of those in this story. Last time I checked they used it in almost every battle I invented for this story. And people during the Hyborian age were so strong that even children are said to be able to overpower recent world recorders. And considering Zaporavo is one of the more physically fit adults, is it too hard to buy that he would be able to briefly hold back Heavy Warrior's attack? And GS does do that in this story, it's just that this time he was more focused on rescuing Cow Girl so he avoided fighting too much. And I'm pretty sure that improvised move he did with Heavy Warrior would have shown his smarts.**

**Last time I checked, Conan has more impressive feats of natural strength, speed, and durability than most of the cast. Anyone who can contest with him would be very formidable in the Goblin Slayer verse. Shevatas was a bit tricky since he was killed in the same chapter he was introduced in and only killed a giant snake but I think he would be up there in the Conan verse.**

**Sorry you feel that way. I don't play D&D so that's probably why but I tried to write it as I saw it in the anime, manga, and LN.**

**I'm not sure I did. From what I've seen Conan just has more impressive feats than they have and a lot more experience, so of course, he is going to seem OP compared to many of them.**

**As for the Hero, yeah even I can see that she is easily above Conan.**

**Guest: I'm not sure Conan could do that. He is good, but not that good. And Conan is adorned in chainmail armor. He prefers those.**

**Guest(2): Well, I thought it was something that made sense. Goblin Slayer didn't know his father apart from what his sister told him and now Conan comes, talks to him about his unhealthy mindset and behavior, gives him advice, has him go to parties and enjoy himself, trains him to better prepare him for dangers other than goblins and gives him dating advice. Seems like a father-figure to me.**

**Legion40k: HA! Nice jab at GoT.**

**Guest(3): Yeah, it's a shame but I felt like the story would have gone in that direction.**

* * *

18 Aftermath

It was morning as Witch walked through the town, which seemed a lot quieter than usual. She supposed it was because of the news they brought with them, how more than half of the Guild was decimated on a mission due to the enemy having a good number of troops of both human and monsters.

It spread like wildfire. Other towns and villages quickly learning what happened to them and grew scared at the prospect of another evil wizard returning with another army of monsters.

The adventurers knew the danger of the mission that was before them, how Conan warned them about the possibility of a great threat that might befall on who knows how many people. They went to save the kidnapped Cow Girl and stop whatever threat was coming.

They failed. While they were able to save Cow Girl, but many considered that was a small success that was overshadowed by the numerous losses they suffered and the fact that despite saving her, Thugra Khotan was still able to complete his ritual by sacrificing one of their own instead. And it was revealed that he had an entire army, which forced the adventurers to flee.

When they arrived back, many letters were sent to the Capital to inform the King of the new threat that lingered somewhere in the land. Thugra Khotan definitely wasn't going to stay at the temple considering many people who knew of its location got away.

Witch's mind was once again filled with sadness as she thought about that. Among the lost ones was Conan, someone she has grown very close to, sacrificing himself to buy them some more time to escape safely. And worst of all, she wasn't sure if they will be able to even retrieve the bodies of the fallen. Khotan may as well have gotten rid of all the traces left behind.

The thought brought a tear down her face which she wiped away with her hand.

She then stopped walking as she saw that she arrived at her destination, the Adventurer's Guild. She was honestly reluctant to go back there after what happened but decided not to wallow in her guilt and still went.

She opened the door and was greeted by Guild Girl.

"Good morning," she said without her usual smile and cheer, also affected by what happened. Goblin Slayer may have kept his promise, something that made her overjoyed, but he explained what happened, she also got a little depressed.

"Good morning… to you as well," Witch said before looking over the Guild Hall before seeing something she expected but still hoped wasn't there.

At one of the tables sat Amazon Warrior, her upper body slumped over it, her eyes closed, drool dripping down her mouth and still somewhat visible tear marks in her eyes, showing she may have cried in her sleep. Over a dozen empty tankards of what Witch knew was alcohol stood there upright or toppled over, with some even on the floor.

She wasn't the only one. Several more adventurers were in a similar state, no doubt also trying to forget what happened not two days ago. Witch recognized one with a ponytail as Martial Artist, who she knew as close to Young Warrior. And she saw the rest of Martial Artist's party get killed while she was doing range support with her magic. The mage of the group was struck from behind by an archer when they were retreating.

Witch walked over to her friend and nudged her on the shoulder, causing her to groan. The Amazon slowly began to open her eyes, her vision blurry. She pushed herself away from the tabletop and rubbed her eyes to wipe away the blurriness. Once her vision was clear she saw Witch standing next to her.

"Oh, hey there," Amazon Warrior said in a groggy tone. She was then hit by a headache, causing her to wince and rub her head with her head. "By the gods, that hurts." She opened one of her eyes to look at Witch. "Do you have any healing spells for this?"

Witch nodded before extending her hand and putting it near Amazon Warrior's head. "Minor Heal," Witch said as her hand started glowing. She was a battle mage, that's for certain, but even she knew some basic spells. And even though her skills with it are not that advanced, it's good enough to heal a hangover.

Amazon Warrior gave a sigh. "Thanks for that," she said before rubbing her head a bit more.

Witch then put her hand on the Amazon's shoulder. "Come, we should-"

"You know," the muscular woman interrupted as she gained a strained smile on her face. "There was this one girl I talked to, Female Rogue. She was a great gal. Started young, but was very talented. Told me once she looked up to me, how she liked my positive attitude and how I enjoyed being an adventurer. Only I didn't know until one of the others told me one of those fucking arrows got her in the back of her skull." Her voice now also gained more strain.

Witch looked at her sadly. "Look, you-"

"And see him?" Amazon Warrior pointed at a blonde-haired man who was sitting with his back against the wall. He was dressed in casual clothes, which wasn't unusual for an adventurer to do, but Witch has never seen him before. "He isn't an adventurer if that's what you're thinking. His lover was an adventurer and he would sometime visit the Guild. He came in crying and I treated him to a drink. I don't know what exactly happened to his lover; he passed out before he could tell me."

Amazon Warrior then pointed to a table located in a corner of the Guild Hall. "And that girl there." The girl she was pointing at was dressed in a robe with golden highlights. Her face was obscured by the hood but her long blonde hair was peeking out. She was also surrounded by several torn pieces of paper and a book from which the papers were torn off. "She lost her teammates while she was in the range support, seeing exactly how they died. One got his skull crushed by a troll while the other was pierced through four different places. She didn't react in time to save them. And now she's alone."

Amazon Warrior's strained smile dropped completely. "And all of those losses, the gamble we took, for what? Nothing."

"Don't think… like that," Witch said as she tried to go for a reassuring tone despite how everything her friend said started getting to her as well. It made her know of more details about what they lost exactly. "Goblin Slayer got back-"

"And we lost a lot more!" Amazon Warrior loudly interrupted as she quickly turned her head towards Witch. "Both of us have! How exactly is-?!"

The muscular woman received a slap on the face from Witch, causing her to go wide-eyed in surprise.

"Enough!" Witch said with a voice that was as stern as the look on her face. "We also gave a warning to the King about a new threat… which should have him prepare early for it!" While Witch knew that was one of their accomplishments in this quest, that fact really didn't help tone down the sorrow of losing a loved one.

The Amazon still looked at her shocked, even more so than before. Witch didn't really pause in that sentence, which Amazon Warrior never heard before. Any pain she might have had in her cheek was completely forgotten.

"And I know who we lost! You think… that I'm not sad about that?!" Witch continued as some tears appeared in her eyes. "But unlike you… I don't choose to try and drink away my problems. I'm not thrilled with it… but I also won't suppress it. If anything, I'm more determined… to see that damn wizard brought down!"

Witch then gave a deep sigh to calm her nerves and wiped her tears away from her eyes.

Amazon Warrior looked at her in amazement for a few moments before slumping back into her chair and looking down in sadness. "I miss him," she said in a low tone. "I miss all of them."

"So do I," Witch said in an equally low tone. "And, there is one more thing I had to say." That got her friend to pay attention to her. "There is going to be a special funeral held for those that were lost in that battle. The state decreed that this was a special occasion, so many of us provided names to the lists for the funeral. It'll be held in the evening."

Amazon Warrior looked surprised at the news. She never heard of something like that being done. Though, honestly, she was glad that it was. At least the fallen would be remembered better this way.

"Then, shouldn't we also inform Goblin Slayer?" Amazon Warrior asked.

"That's currently being taken care of," said Witch.

* * *

Meanwhile, Spearman was walking towards the farm where Goblin Slayer lived. His face was fixed from the burns it received but red marks were still visible on it. He had forgone his armor, instead, he was going in a white short-sleeved shirt and black pants. Though, he still carried his spear with him, being slung on his back as he walked.

As he approached the house he saw Cow Girl standing at one of the plowed fields, picking up potatoes from it and putting them in a crate. Her face lacked any real emotion as her hands moved robotically.

"Hello there," Spearman called out causing her to stop what she was doing and turned towards him with a curious.

"Oh, hello. How can I help you?" Cow Girl asked in a formal way, which just didn't seem right to Spearman.

"Oh, it's nothing special. I'm just wondering where Goblin Slayer might be," Spearman said.

She pointed towards her house. "He was taking some crates inside towards the storage room."

Spearman was sad to see the girl who was still trying to hide her sadness behind the mask of indifference. He could tell that she still partially blamed herself for what happened despite the circumstances being out of her control. He didn't want to press a conversation more than necessary otherwise he would only get in an awkward situation.

"Thanks. I just needed to tell him something," Spearman explained before heading off towards the house. "Take care."

Cow Girl nodded before going back to her work.

Goblin Slayer got out of the house, completely out of his armor, but stopped walking once he noticed Spearman standing in front of the porch.

"Hey. What've you been doing lately?" Spearman asked.

"Helping Cow Girl," Goblin Slayer said in a monotone voice, though less monotone than previously. "Ever since her uncle died she became the legal owner of this farm, but without him, she can't do the work alone. So I'm helping her as much as I can."

"Yeah, makes sense," Spearman said before his face turned serious as he reminded himself not to talk too much about sensitive topics. "I'm here to tell you something. A funeral will be held this evening for our fallen comrades."

Goblin Slayer's eyes slightly widened. "I… see."

"Yeah. Apparently, that whole thing was serious enough to make a special funeral for it. It'll be held in the city near the holy temple," Spearman explained briefly. "But I shouldn't hold you from your work for too long. So… see you then."

Goblin Slayer nodded "Yeah." After that Spearman walked away. Now Goblin Slayer's mind went to the funeral. He already had another one for Cow Girl's uncle but that one was for tomorrow. But that current one was definitely something he will go to. At least to be able to say goodbye in some way.

* * *

Female Knight lay on a bed in her hotel room, her face still stained with tear marks as her face lay half-buried into a pillow. Her room was of a simple design, a bed, a wardrobe, a table, a couple of chairs, a mirror, and a window overlooking the town with some curtains placed over it, making the room darker. She was dressed in regular clothes, her armor, sword and shield laying scattered across the room floor.

She still couldn't believe what happened. She finally got together with the love of her life and he was recently killed by that pirate along with most of her team. It was unfair! Things were recently starting to look up and now this?

Why was fate so cruel? Maybe this was punishment. She looked down on Goblin Slayer for being an adventurer who focused on killing goblins, creatures deemed pathetic by most of them. Yet they were the same creatures who raped women and killed villagers and children, and she dismissed the notion of going after them entirely because she thought them not worth her time. So was that it? Some divine irony?

She honestly didn't know how long she was in the room, but she honestly didn't care. It was all too much to handle.

Knocking was heard on her door, something which she scarcely acknowledged.

"Hey, are you still in there?" asked the voice of Half-elf Fighter, the only other surviving teammate of the group. "Look, sorry to disturb you but I bring some news. There will be a funeral held for the adventurers who died back then." That caught Female Knight's attention. "I think it would be appropriate for both of us to attend. To honor our team."

That caused her to get up from her bed, slipped on her slippers and walked towards the door. She unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a surprised but relieved Half-elf Fighter at the door. "I'll go," she said, not wanting to miss the occasion of honoring her friends, companions and her team.

* * *

It was evening as the Adventurer's Guild was gathered at the graveyard of the holy temple. The graveyard wasn't too big but the people that were left were able to be there. And quite a bit of the people that lived in that town gathered there, many also being personally hit by the loss and some coming out of respect for the people who protected them from monsters.

A big stone tablet was added on the front of the graveyard with the names of the fallen written on it. Not a single member of the adventurers or the workers was missing, as they all came to grieve over their losses and say goodbye to the deceased.

However, there was something that surprised everyone there. The one who held the ceremony was… Sword Maiden. That caught everyone off guard when they saw the Sword Maiden herself. She was a beautiful woman with long blond hair, wearing white robes with blue outlines that covered her body like a glove. On her hair, she wore a white cloth headdress that went the length of her back and a black blindfold that covered her eyes. In her hand, she held a gold-ornamented blue scale with a cross located on top of it.

The woman was a hero, one of the people who fought back against the Demon Lord. Many wondered why she was the one handling the ceremony, but none of them complained.

"This day, we honor the men and women who fell in battle against the new evil that is certain to plague our lands," she spoke, confirming that the messages they sent out were heard. "We honor the people who lost their lives trying to warn us of the new threat, and it's their sacrifice that allowed their brothers and sisters in arms to deliver us this message."

Everyone who was at the funeral hung their heads and closed their eyes, focusing on Sword Maiden's words.

"To ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten, this grave will help to remind all of us for what they've done that day. And to all their previous deeds to help defend the weak. For the world we live in can be cruel towards others, let their deeds be of heroism be remembered for the future, to let the others show how you can protect the unfortunate and bring hope into the world."

Tears trickled down the eyes of many in the gathering, as they remembered their fallen comrades, acquaintances, lovers, and friends.

Sword Maiden put her scale in the air as it began emanating bright light. "Let the holy light of the gods shine the way to their souls towards the heavens!" Sword Maiden raised her voice as she continued speaking. "So that they may find the peace that they rightfully deserve! And let their sacrifice be remembered for ages to come!"

The light that came off her scale slowly died down, indicating the end of the ceremony. After that, everyone gathered there slowly came one by one towards the stone tablet, putting some flowers in front of it. Some stayed at the tablet longer than others, with them wanting to remember their fallen more. Nobody stopped them from doing so.

As Goblin Slayer came in front of the tablet, he looked over the names. Scout Boy, Young Warrior, Druid Girl, Female Martial Artist, Heavy Warrior and many more. However, he stopped at one of the names, in particular, Conan of Cimmeria.

Goblin Slayer lamented over what the man had done for him. He helped him realize his feelings for the women that surrounded him and how he acted around them, helped him get together with Cow Girl and Guild Girl, trained him to be a better fighter than he was already which helped him survive some pretty close calls, and the one who showed him things he enjoyed far more than goblin slaying. And now, he was the man who gave up his life to Goblin Slayer's own and of the rest of the Guild.

Goblin Slayer's fist clenched. That was yet another loss he suffered. Unlike that Rhea Burglar, Conan didn't just teach him, he also seemed to treat him like family. Burglar may have prepared him for goblins, which Goblin Slayer was still very grateful for, but Conan prepared him everything else. The barbarian felt like a family he didn't have in a long time, not since his sister.

And now he was lost as well, dying similarly to his sister. By giving their own lives to save his.

Goblin Slayer put the flower he was holding among the many the others put. As he left the tablet he caught the gaze of Sword Maiden, who looked at him in sorrow. He stopped and looked back at her well. A new sense formed between them, some sort of understanding that wasn't there before. Goblin Slayer was also aware more of how she felt towards him, which he wanted to talk to her about, but the funeral was still going so he wasn't going to be disrespectful.

Goblin Slayer then just turned away his gaze before walking away. Now he was filled with a new determination. He knew that the King will have no choice but to act against the new threat. And Goblin Slayer will make sure he is in the middle of it.

* * *

Conan woke up with a groan as his eyelids opened. He shook his head to get rid of the slight dizziness he felt. He looked around and saw that he was located in the in a dark room made of neatly put tiles and bricks. There was a wooden door in front of him that had an opening with three metal bars on it where there seemed to be a light source. He also saw a glimpse of someone's face but he couldn't really make it out.

Conan, knowing the situation considering he was in it plenty of times, put his arm in front of his face to see that he was indeed shackled at the wrist, along with his other arm. The chains didn't seem to be made of any metal he was familiar with, with them being ebony black.

He then got up and saw that the chains were pulling his arms back. He saw that they were embedded into the bricks that were on a third row of the ground, limiting to how much he could move his arms.

He then heard the door seemingly being unlocked. His gaze went back to the door as he saw a familiar figure walking in, filling instantly with rage. Inside entered the newly rejuvenated Thugra Khotan, forsaking his old green wizard robes for new royal ones. His arms were also adorned with golden bracelets and jewels, with jeweled rings on most of his fingers.

Conan was about to run at him but the chains on his arms only gave a rattling sound as they held him tightly in place. The wizard just walked in front of him with an arrogant smile adorning his face. "Good evening… Conan was it? How do you like your accommodations?"

"Why aren't I dead, wizard? Why keep me prisoner instead of killing me for good?" Conan asked as his eyes burned with rage.

Khotan moved closer until he was right in front of the barbarian, who had to look up at the towering wizard. "Well first of all," Khotan said before putting his arm on Conan's chest. "Sit down!" He then pushed Conan with his surprising strength, forcing him to land on his behind with a slight grunt.

"Better," Khotan said before he put his hands behind his back while Conan continued looking murderously at him, which didn't at all bother the servant of Set. "Now then, you probably noticed the chains you are bound in. They are made of a special material, one of my own accomplishments actually, that even a man with the quadrupled amount of your strength wouldn't be able to break," he gloated with the arrogant smile returning to his face. "As for why you are alive, well it's more on the matter that they underestimated how thick your barbarian skull is. So I was surprised to see you alive. But regardless, you are of no threat to me anymore nor can you escape your binds, champion of Mitra."

Conan looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Champion of Mitra? What are you babbling about?"

Khotan looked at him confused. "What? You're telling me that you don't…" the Wizard chuckled at the thought. The barbarian wasn't even aware of the game he was participating in. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter anymore."

Conan growled. "Stop speaking in riddles, wizard! What are you talking about?!"

Khotan's smile dropped. "Nothing that your simian brain would understand. So why bother explaining?" he said as he continued ignoring the glare that was sent to him by Conan. "Though, you should be happy. Your little stunt allowed your friends to run away."

Conan was honestly relieved to hear that and would have expressed that feeling but he needed to keep his composure. But, he was happy that he saved the rest of the Guild. At least this time he was able to ensure his comrades' survival, even if not all of them were able to make it.

"But it doesn't really matter in the long run," Thugra Khotan said with his smile returning. "You see, in a couple of weeks, I'm going to put my army to use and begin conquering of this continent. And with it, spread the worship and glory of Set. But don't worry, I'll ensure to send you the heads of the rest of your companions' heads personally."

Conan gave an almost roar before lunging himself at the wizard but the chains once again held him back from going too far. Khotan just gave a sigh and shake of head. "Dumb barbarian, indeed," he muttered before hitting Conan with a palm of his hand causing the barbarian to land on the wall with his back as he gave a pained grunt before slumping back down. "You're lucky I'm keeping you alive. Our dear captain already voiced his frustration on that, but that's not important." He then kneeled down and put his face right in front of Conan's, the two men glaring at each other. "I'm going to conquer this continent. I WILL kill all your friends. And I'll make sure you see it." He then got up and began walking towards the prison door.

He then stopped before once again turning towards Conan. "And don't think of holding onto any hope. No one in this continent can stop me or my army. Not their King. Not their Hero. Or you. I have enough information about all of them to know what to expect. I already won, barbarian." He then turned back towards the door. "Just a little something to linger in your mind."

The then went out and closed the door. Leaving the Conan to lay there in the dark prison.

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of that. Not much happened, just seeing the state of our heroes. But after all the action in the last chapter, I thought we needed something calmer. I hope you still enjoyed it.**

**See you next time!**


	20. 19 Hope

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Well, here is another chapter of The Stranded Barbarian, not much to say about this one other than I hope you enjoy it.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Dracus6: Okay, that idea honestly sounds a bit silly. I mean, why a goblin/demon hybrid? Goblins aren't particularly important to Khotan so why bother transforming himself into something like that?**

**Guest: Well, yeah it is. Though even in history there were plenty of knights who didn't act "knightly".**

**And yeah, that wasn't much of a twist, but I honestly didn't expect it to be.**

* * *

19 Hope

Tat Shevatas walked through the torch-lit hallways of the dungeon, carrying a tray with some bread and water in his hand. He was currently back in his regular clothing, or lack thereof, considering it was his old loincloth and sandals, but he preferred it that way.

She had to admit, that the information they gathered from many bandits they subjugated was invaluable. They were able to find a lost underground city where his master Khotan had his armies stay at and a special dungeon where they now held some notable prisoners.

He neared one of the doors guarded by two men who were heavily armored and held polearms with swords in their sheets for backup. Some grunting and rustling of chains could be heard behind the door.

Shevatas looked a bit confused before a guard spoke. "He does that a lot. The master told him he couldn't get out of those chains but the barbarian's as stubborn as a mule."

The thief just gave a sigh at that. "I suppose he is the kind that keeps fighting on," Shevatas commented. "Now open the door. I need to leave these for him."

One of the guards scoffed before taking out a key. "Don't know why someone like you would bother, but I suppose it's not my place to question it. Though, in my opinion, you should just let him starve or die of thirst. That would at least rid us of the annoyance of constantly hearing him," the guard said before unlocking the door.

Tat Shevatas entered the cell and saw the barbarian tug at the chains but stopped when he saw Shevatas enter. "And what are you doing here? Aren't you a bit too important to be serving a prisoner some food?" Conan asked as his eyes narrowed.

Shevatas gave a chuckle at that. "Well, this was the only way to give you a visit since master Khotan forbids us to go near you, otherwise Zaporavo would have come to skewer you. I was able to relieve a servant of the task and here I am," Shevatas explained before approaching Conan at an appropriate distance before putting the tray on the floor and pushing it towards the chained man.

Shevatas had to admit, Conan was an intimidating sight, even if he wasn't wearing armor. Usually, people built like him could crush a man's skull easily.

Conan then roughly grabbed the piece of bread and took a huge chunk out of it in a single bite. "So why did you want to meet me?" Conan asked with his mouth half full of bread.

Shevatas, ignoring the poor manners the man had, though in all honesty why bother with them in front of your enemy, just sat in front of Conan cross-legged. "We haven't formally met due to my demise. Though, introductions are pointless since we know who each other is. I just wanted to have a chance to talk with you. I've heard quite a bit about you."

Conan gulped down his chewed foo. "Oh, did you, now?" he asked unamused.

"I've heard of you, Conan of Cimmeria," Shevatas said. "You began adventuring quite early in your life and accomplished some notable things. One of which I find most interesting is getting into the Elephant Tower and returning alive. Were you able to retrieve the Heart of the Elephant?"

"The Heart and the Tower were destroyed due to sorcery," Conan said, not telling the whole truth. He doubted Shevatas would believe him about there being creatures from another world beyond the skies.

Shevatas gained a disappointed look in his eyes. "Oh, that's a shame," he said. Acquiring that treasure would solidify your reputation as one of the greatest thieves and made you incredibly rich. Perhaps that is why Conan wasn't more famous in his youth for getting out of the tower, he didn't have the Heart.

"Now for my question," Conan said before Shevatas could continue talking. "Why are you serving Thugra Khotan? Wasn't he the reason you are dead?"

Shevatas smiled. "Well, many people would be incredibly grateful to have been brought back to life. But no, that's not the reason. The reason is the amount of gold he'll be able to give me. The amount of treasures we were able to find here is great, you'd be surprised with how many abandoned ruins they have here. Add it to the amount of vast treasure master Khotan already has access to and due to the fact that a good amount of his army are monsters uninterested in gold, the amount he will be able to distribute is grand. Especially for his right-hand men."

Conan's eyes narrowed at that. Khotan had access to his old treasury? Well from what he saw Khotan was able to open gateways to elsewhere, so he would probably be able to at a place he was familiar with. Conan actually remembered that he and princess Yasmela weren't able to find that treasure when they looked for it, and they lacked the manpower to continue looking. It was also probably the reason how he is able to fund his army.

"What of the women the goblins kidnap? What do they serve? Does your army also need pleasure slaves?" Conan asked. Despite the investigation put on for the women that were kidnapped in the mission he and Goblin Slayer took, there was still no progress on it. Perhaps Shevatas would know if he was the right-hand man of Khotan.

Shevatas looked at him for a moment, as if he were in thought before realization seemed to hit his face. "Ah, you probably noticed the women missing on some goblin mission you took. Well, my master needed to replenish his power with how much he had to use them, so some sacrifices were needed. And you probably realize how picky Set is in what he takes for sacrifices. It had nothing to do with providing carnal pleasure for his army."

It was just as Conan suspected. The three women that were missing in that cave were indeed dead, used as sacrifices for some madman's purposes. He knew that Goblin Slayer was angry at Thugra Khotan and Shevatas right now, and if Conan tells him what he learned he might be even more so.

"You know, Conan," Shevatas said, interrupting Conan from his thoughts. "Why don't you join us?"

That got Conan to look at him in surprise for a few moments before he scowled at the thief. "And why would I even consider this offer? I think a few parts of your brain didn't come back to life still."

Shevatas chuckled at that. "But why not? Think about it, Conan. Why are you with those silly adventurers in the first place? Because the jobs they have bring you money? You see, what the two of us have in common is simple, our desire for profit. You were a thief and a pirate in your life, even, from what I've heard, tricking a woman out of a precious artifact to see just how much you will profit from it. Am I wrong?" Conan's silence was all the answer Shevatas needed. "You're clearly not a man motivated by friendship or such, you want gold. And my master can give you a good amount of gold if you join us.

"Join us, serve my master, and convert to the worship of Set. You would be an invaluable asset; even my master can see that. Your skills could help us, and you would rank high in Khotan's army. You would earn enough gold to become a king," Shevatas explained, with his eyes locked on to Conan's deep blue eyes as he waited for the answer. "What do you say?"

After a few moments, Conan slightly pursed his lips before letting out a spit on Shevatas' face which caused the master thief to flinch before wiping it off. "You can take that offer and shove it up your ass! I'd rather die than sell my soul to that snake! Now if that's all you wanted to say, get out!"

Shevatas just glared at the man before rising up. "Fine then," he simply said before walking away. "And here I thought you were smart." And with that, he left the cell, disappointed with his encounter with the Cimmerian.

Conan just continued glaring at the door, even after the thief left. He may have been motivated by money, but that didn't mean he would betray his comrades at the top of the hat, especially considering everything Khotan, Shevatas, and Zaporavo had done. He wasn't that petty.

Conan finished his bread and gulped down on the water he was given. He then leaned back and closed his eyes, wanting to get some rest. The stone wall behind him didn't hinder him too much; he slept in similar ways before. Right now, he needed a distraction from what was going on and sleep is the best as they come in his situation.

* * *

Goblin Slayer swung his saber, currently not having his shield, in Female Knight's direction, which she blocked with her shield before countering with her sword which Goblin Slayer avoided by moving backward. She went for a stabbing motion which Goblin Slayer blocked.

Both of them wore their standard armor as they sparred, which they decided they would do a while ago so they could improve their skills and speed at fighting. In their minds, there will be an inevitable confrontation with Khotan and his men and they needed to prepare.

Goblin Slayer blocked one of her strikes before countering by slashing at her right side which she blocked with her sword. When she pushed away his sword he quickly reached with his other hand to the shortsword, which was now located on his back, before attacking her with it at the same place he did with his saber. Surprised she blocked the shortsword with her own blade, which Goblin Slayer used to thrust his saber while avoiding hitting the shield. His blade found itself next to her neck to which she looked surprised.

"I thought we were only practicing with those swords," commented Female Knight as Goblin Slayer retreated his sword from her neck.

Goblin Slayer sheathed his swords before taking off his helmet. "I didn't say we were only using a saber and a one-handed sword during spars. Plus, I need to learn how to use my other weapons in tandem with the saber while fighting another enemy. It's something me and Conan never got to in our lessons," Goblin Slayer explained.

"I see," Female Knight said Sheathing her weapon and putting away her shield. "Well, I must admit, it worked pretty well. It caught me off guard. You have some great talent with a blade. I wish we sparred sooner."

"Right," was his simple response. He looked up to see the position of the sun, which indicated that it was noon, meaning he and Female Knight were training for several hours.

He still couldn't believe how this arrangement came. Two days after the funeral, while he was practicing his sword skills at the Guild Training ground, she came to him and told him she wanted to train. He was stunned for a moment before he responded affirmatively. And they were training for the next three days, improving in many areas.

And during that time, the Guild received a message from the Capital. The King actually read their letters and decided to look into this matter because, as it turned out, some monsters seemed to disappear along with several more famous bandit groups. So for uncovering the secret plot and for the losses they suffered, the Adventurer's Guild gained a big compensation, enough money for each adventurer who participated in the mission for them not needing to take any quests for quite a while.

However, most the adventurers just continued with their jobs despite this, feeling it was their duty to continue their jobs in honor of their fallen comrades. Even Goblin Slayer took some time off to join a few quests.

Goblin Slayer also used his money to help Guild Girl get better farming tools and equipment since more work needed to be done after her uncle's passing. He also bought himself some new weapons and armor, though he currently wasn't wearing them. His current one was good for killing goblins, but there were no goblin missions at all for some time, Khotan's doing no doubt, and the enemy they were facing required him to be properly equipped.

So, he was able to buy himself armor similar to the one he had before, though it was made out of better quality steel, and some proper plating was added to it that didn't need to be bound by leather. He didn't add too much armor so he could keep his optimal mobility though the new armor didn't have leathered protection as it wasn't really needed, making the new armor be the more usual padding below chainmail and plating.

The weapons he had were the weapons he had before, daggers, shortsword, and shield, just made of steel and not cheap iron. And of course, he kept the saber Conan gave him.

Goblins were one thing, but for the battle in the future that he was determined to participate in, his regular equipment won't cut it. This time he wasn't concerned about goblins getting hold of his equipment, but how long he could last in a battle against a bigger foe. He was honestly starting to regret not taking more of non-goblin related missions since he really needed the experience right now.

"Hey, are you two done?" came the voice of Spearman who walked alongside Amazon Warrior.

"Yeah," Goblin Slayer answered. "You can train now, we are taking a small rest." He then cast a look at Amazon Warrior. "When you're done, may I spar with you?" He asked because he wanted to gain more experience in fighting different types of enemies, and the Amazon would give him some experience against particularly strong ones.

The muscular woman gave him a smirk and a pat on the shoulder. "Sure thing. See you later."

Goblin Slayer gave her a nod before going inside the Guild Hall.

* * *

Goblin Slayer sat at one of the tables with a tankard of alien his hand. He got a taste for the drink thanks to Conan.

Even though he didn't spend too much time here, he could still see the effects of what happened. The Hall wasn't nearly as filled as usual and to him, it felt wrong. Adventurers didn't like him at first but they warmed up to him after a while, and he remembered so many of them hanging out here, drinking, eating, laughing, telling stories, just having fun in general.

Though some of that spark returned to the Guild it wasn't nearly as much to be like it was before.

"May we sit?" a familiar voice asked. Goblin Slayer turned his head to see High Elf Archer and Priestess standing next to him. He gave them a nod to which they seated themselves beside him.

"How is the training going, Orcbolg?" Archer asked.

"I'm making progress," Goblin Slayer answered before taking a drink from his tankard. "So, where are Dwarf Shaman and Lizard Priest?"

"They had something to take care of with their people," explained High Elf Archer. "They said they needed to properly prepare for the war that will come in the future."

"I see," Goblin Slayer said before he turned towards Priestess. "And how is your training with the Sword Maiden?"

Priestess smiled at him. "Very well, actually. My Healing Miracles have improved greatly. Now I can use more of them per day," Priestess explained. While Sword Maiden was still in the city, Priestess came up to her and asked if she could train with her so she could help protect her friends better. Surprisingly, Sword Maiden agreed and had Priestess come with her to Water Town for some lessons. And Priestess now routinely goes there to train.

Goblin Slayer smiled at her, feeling proud of her and happy at seeing her own smile. "That's good to hear. Just don't push yourself too much," he said causing the girl to blush.

"I won't," she said.

High Elf Archer chuckled at that. "Well, aren't you two cute," she commented. "No offense to the other two."

"I'm sure they wouldn't be offended," Goblin Slayer said. While his relationship with both Guild Girl and Cow Girl was somewhat unusual, at least for these parts, he explained to them the full situation and they understood. They wouldn't mind if he found himself another girl, as long as that didn't stop him from loving them as well.

And he was certain it wouldn't.

He was about to take another drink but stopped himself. "Sorry, I'm acting rude. Would the two of you like to order something? My treat," he told them.

The two of them were caught off guard for a moment before High Elf Archer replied. "I'm sure we can afford it ourselves.

Goblin Slayer then smiled at them. "I insist."

"Well, I don't mind," Priestess replied with a slight blush on her cheeks, really liking how Goblin Slayer was treating them.

"Eh, alright then," High Elf Archer relented. She would usually just ignore it but she didn't feel like refusing him. Plus, it felt nice when your crush treated you to lunch.

* * *

In Water Town, within the temple of the Supreme God, Sword Maiden was kneeling in front of an altar. The room was large, painted white, adorned by big windows on the sides and few white marble pillars, a huge blue carpet was laid on the floor.

It was night, and the altar was illuminated by big candles. Above the altar was a golden statue of a robed man with a staff in his hands.

Sword Maiden kneeled there, her hands clasped together in prayer. She couldn't believe what was going on. The Demon Lord was recently vanquished after being resurrected, and now, instead of a time of greater peace, the land was threatened by this Thugra Khotan, a wizard who secretly assembled an army of both humans and monsters alike. Would Fate ever allow them at least some decent time of peace?

And after she heard what happened to Goblin Slayer, his team and the Adventurer's Guild in his town, she volunteered to go herself to hold the funeral ceremony, feeling that those adventurers deserved it for their sacrifice.

And she was surprised when Priestess came to her and asked her to help her train to improve her magic. After seeing the girl's determination she couldn't refuse, so she gave her some private tutoring. The girl improved fast, no doubt due to her determination.

But Goblin Slayer, a man she grew to love after what he did for her, was what surprised her the most when she saw him. He didn't act like she would expect him to. Unlike before, where his expression was more stoic and his feelings hidden, despite her limited vision, she could tell his feelings. The feeling of sadness, loss, anger, and when the two of them locked eyes, as best as they could due to her eyepatch, she could tell his loss and understand what he was going through. And saw how he was filled with a freshly made determination.

It was back then where she could tell, Goblin Slayer was a different man from what he was before. But just how different was he? Was he completely different from before? She would have talked to him but she didn't have the time at that moment and they haven't met each other since.

The conflict they had with the new evil wizard was definitely the cause of that, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Would he seek revenge? Would put himself in danger far greater than goblins to get back at the man who made him lose so much? She knew that such conflicts changed people, but to see him change was something she didn't expect. And that scared her.

So she knelt, praying to her god for help. "Please, oh, please let this war end quickly," she began praying out loud. "There was already too much lost in these battles against the darkness. So many people were lost and I'm afraid… I might lose _him_ too. Either to death or he will change from what he was before." As she prayed, her eyes started to water, tears wetting the cloth around her eyes. "I don't want that to happen. I don't want such injustice to happen to anyone. So please, give me a sign, anything. Something to assure me everything will be alright in the end."

After she finished, she waited for an answer. She knew the unlikeliness of that actually happening, but she held on hope that it might. That her prayers would be answered.

After a while of waiting… nothing. There was no response at all. She knew that would probably be the case but she hoped it wouldn't. Her tears were let loose as she began losing what little hope she had, as the darkness of the world seemed to hang over her.

"Don't lose hope, child," came a deep and echoing voice that permeated throughout the temple, causing her to gasp.

The room was soon bathed in light that appeared in front of the altar, shining through the barely illuminated room, as if day had arrived. An outline of a figure arrived in her limited vision through her black cloth. The figure was that of a man, clothed in robes, standing in front of her as light radiated from him.

"A… are you… the Supreme God?" she asked with a shocked expression and stutter in her voice. Was this happening? Were her prayers answered after all?

The man walked in front of her, kneeled and put his hands in front of her. "You don't need to kneel in front of me. Please, rise."

Sword Maiden shakingly outstretched her hands before she touched the ones of the divine being in front of her. The moment her hands grasped his, a sense of warmth and comfort spread throughout her body. All the fears and worries left her as if they never existed. The figure then began to rise slightly pushing her up with their interlocked hands and she rose as well.

"To answer your question, no, I'm not your Supreme God," he answered making her look in surprise. "And while I am a head god, I'm a god from these lands."

"What… what do you mean?" Sword Maiden asked in confusion.

"There are other lands apart from this one, each ruled by different gods. I am one of the gods not native to this land. I am known as Mitra," the now-named Mitra explained making the blonde woman look in wonder. "And I am sorry for the circumstances that befall your land. You see, Thugra Khotan is a man from the continent where we reside. He is a worshipper and a high priest of another god, and a rival of mine, Set."

Sword Maiden couldn't believe what she was hearing, though it seemed to make sense. Khotan did start a religion based around this 'Set' and this brought more light to it. But there was still a matter that didn't add up. "Why are you apologizing then, great Mitra? How is that your fault?"

The god gave a sigh. "Because I and Set are involved in this conflict that haunts you. Both of us made a deal with the gods of your world," said Mitra which made Sword Maiden look even more intrigued than she was before. Gods from another land interacting with the ones from her's? That was astounding. "Both me and Set would choose a champion, and when a champion beats the other, then the god of that champion will be able to spread his influence throughout this land while the other god is to never set foot here."

Sword Maiden stood still after that explanation. This conflict was a wager between gods? This was... almost too much to handle atop of all the other things she just heard. "And who is your champion, Lord Mitra?"

"A man who is close to the someone you love, a man who is currently thought dead but just imprisoned, Conan of Cimmeria," Mitra answered, making Sword Maiden gain a surprised look.

Someone she loved? Did he mean Goblin Slayer? She never heard of this 'Conan' before so he was probably from Mitra's land. There was still a question that lingered in her mind. "But why appear before me?"

"I would normally appear before Conan, since we were given permission from the gods of your land to do so and inform our champions of what was going on. However, Conan is a man who doesn't want to be involved with anything to do with gods. If I appeared before him, he would just ignore me, wanting nothing to do with me. Appearing before him would be pointless," Mitra explained. "I explained this matter to other gods, and they allowed me one visit to another person. And I choose you."

Sword Maiden looked even more stunned than before. "M-me? You chose me?" she asked, incredibly flattered that a god would specifically ask for her. "But… why me, Lord Mitra?"

"Because you are a woman of great spirit and heart, and as a priestess of another deity this wouldn't scare you as much as others," Mitra explained. "And you have the capability of assisting Conan in his fight against Khotan."

"And, how exactly can I help him?"

Mitra sighed at that. "Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you. I cannot reveal the details, as that would be me helping you too much. All I can say is that you are the one who can help him in some way."

Mitra then reached with hand, it moved next to Sword Maiden's head before grasping the cloth that covered her eyes. "Lord Mitra, what are-" She was interrupted at the knot that tied the cloth seemingly unraveled by itself before Mitra pulled the cloth, uncovering her eyes.

Sword Maiden slowly began to open her eyes, her bright blue eyes once again revealed to the world. The moment she opened them they immediately widened in surprise. In front of her, she saw a clear image of Mitra. A tall muscular man, with blonde long and wavy hair and beard, golden eyes, and he was dressed in a white toga.

She also began looking around, actually seeing other things clearly. Her vision wasn't blurry, but normal. The same way it was before… the incident with the goblins. She could make out every detail of the room. The color of the carpet, the exact details of the Supreme God's statue, everything was clear to her.

She then once again cast a glance at Mitra and was met with him smiling warmly at her. Tears appeared in her eyes though this time out of happiness. "Lord Mitra, I… I can't…-" She was at the loss of words. Her vision was restored after all these years.

Mitra then put his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, child. You don't have to say anything." His hand then retracted. "And you don't have to worry about your love. He didn't change so much that he would stop caring about you." Mitra's divine form then began disappearing. "You have an important task in front of you, but I know that you will succeed. Farewell to you, child."

And with that, Mitra disappeared, leaving the room to once again be illuminated by only candles.

Sword Maiden stood there with her hands clasped together in front of her chest, as tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks and a smile adorned her face. "I promise you, Lord Mitra, I won't fail."

After all the things that happened, Sword Maiden's spirit was filled with hope once again.

* * *

**AN: And that's it for now! We had some development with characters and one more important event happening.**

**I hope you enjoyed it. See you next time!**


	21. 20 Life Goes On

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here is the next installment of The Stranded Barbarian. Now, this chapter is pretty short (the shortest one yet, actually) but I honestly didn't see it going on any further. Still, I hope you find enjoyment in it.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Dracus6: Well, that romantic moment will have to wait.**

**Guest: Well, despite the setting, no one's really perfect.**

**And I don't think it's asserting dominance as much as providing assurance.**

**Evowizard25: Hey, nice to see you back! And thanks, that kind of relationship was an idea that came to me over time and it just seemed right.**

**Well, people do irrationally blame themselves after tragedy strikes. And I'm not sure he actually realized that the girl he saved became the Hero. Not during this time at least.**

**I think if I tell it right now it would spoil too much so you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Well, I thought that she deserved something like that.**

**I'm not sure about doing anything abridged, or about Hero going Doomslayer (not familiar with the games so I'm not sure I could pull that off). But good luck with your story.**

**Oh, and I hope you check out my other story that I recently started. I'd like to hear your opinion on it.**

* * *

20 Life Goes On

In the Heavens, where the gods dwelled, Mitra appeared in a flash of golden light and stood on the non-existent ground beneath him. He was honestly pleased with what transpired a few moments ago. Seeing hope well up in that woman brought a smile to his face.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Mitra," someone hissed behind him. Mitra turned and saw the scaly green-robed form of Set looking at him with his arms crossed.

"I'm only playing this 'game' by the rules," Mitra simply said.

The serpent god's eyes narrowed. "I think you helped the woman a bit too much. Restoring her eyesight is definitely a too direct way of assistance," argued Set as he saw that Mitra gave too much of an advantage to his own side.

"She would have helped anyway, restoring her vision wouldn't have affected the outcome," Mitra argued back with his voice not betraying any emotion.

Set, however, wasn't convinced. "So you just did that because you could? Since when do you do such random acts of charity?" he asked with his forked tongue slithering out for a moment due to his irritation. "Perhaps I could voice my complaints to the other gods and have you disqualified. I wouldn't mind an early victory."

Mitra's eyes slightly narrowed at the threat. "You could though don't expect them to take you too seriously on that. Knowing them they'd just consider this a waste of time," he explained with his golden eyes locked on the Set's yellow slit ones. "And you should just drop this; it has nothing to do with the wager. You're wasting both of our precious times."

Set's eyes narrowed further. His rival was really starting to piss him off. But he knew he was right. The gods of this land would just dismiss him as being paranoid and desperate to get Mitra out of the wager.

"Fine then," Set hissed out. "You can't interfere anymore in any case." And he then walked away.

Mitra gave a sigh. What he told was true, but only to an extent. He was sure Sword Maiden would have helped anyway but he gave her back her eyes as more of an assurance for that to happen. He didn't like the slight deception he did but he felt that something should have been done.

Set was allowed to give his high priests some magic and he accepted ritual sacrifices, but that wasn't considered unfair. So Mitra used an opportunity where he thought he would be able to more directly assist.

But one thing was for sure. It is imperative for Set to lose this wager.

* * *

At Khotan's dungeons, one of the servants entered Conan's cell after the two guards unlocked it. Once inside, he saw Conan within his cell. However, Conan's state was different than what it was after a while.

It began a few days ago. Conan stopped struggling by pulling on his chains. As it began to be quiet, too quiet for the likes of him, they checked inside his cell and saw him just sitting there, not moving. When they came to examine him they saw that he was still alive, but there was this glassy-eyed look his had and he just wasn't really responsive to the world around him.

Every time someone would bring him his food, he would hardly eat or drink the water. He would eat and drink but not too much it seemed. There were several times when they found leftovers on his tray despite them not bringing him too much food.

And now, the servant just looked at the barbarian. He just sat there, head hung low with his raven-black locks covering his face, his shoulders slumped down a bit and his arms laying loosely at his sides.

The servant then walked up to him, not too bothered about the distance since Conan didn't seem to notice anyone. He then put the tray down in front of Conan, who still didn't seem to notice what happened.

They wondered what happened to the once-mighty warrior. He wasn't tortured, Khotan thought it a waste of time since Conan more than likely didn't have any useful Intel due to him being a simple adventurer, so what broke him? They said that perhaps a fighting man couldn't stay caged for too long. He was constantly fighting against his restraints but found the gesture completely futile since it didn't bring him anything. So, when he couldn't do anything to fight, his mind slowly receded to this state.

They honestly weren't sure if that was the explanation but they didn't really care anyhow and just accepted it.

The servant in front of Conan just waited for Conan to make any sort of move. After a while, he saw Conan's hand twitch, the chains rattling on his hand as he began reaching for something. His hand found itself on the cup of water. He picked it up and slowly moved it behind his hair to his lips and took a small drink.

The servant just groaned. "Honestly, I don't even know why we bother with you," he said before just turning around and walking out of the cell, not wanting to be there any more than necessary to watch a practically already dead man, but wasn't aware of the blue eyes watching him through raven locks.

* * *

Goblin Slayer walked through a forest with the sun high up in the sky shining its bright rays through the treetops. Recently he took on another quest that was sent from a remote village. It would appear that a giant snake suddenly appeared in their forest and began feeding on their livestock and occasionally attacking them.

He took the quest himself and read up on snakes and how to deal with them. One of the things needed to be done was actually find the snake, which was pretty hard to do despite the fact that it was supposed to be big. So along with his standard equipment, there was also a bag he carried over his shoulder. In it was special bait that would lure the snake into the open.

After a while, he thought he got far enough and stopped walking. He found a good spot in front of a tree and pulled a pair of dead rabbits from his bag and put them on that spot. Then the climbed up the tree until he made it to the treetop where he hid among the thick leaves. He stood on a branch and looked down on the place where he left the rabbits, eagerly waiting for the snake to arrive.

It took a while, but it finally appeared. Goblin Slayer some rustling sounds not too far from here and some slight hissing. Then the head of the snake appeared from one of the bushes, a really big head with black scales. The snake didn't move further than its head, observing to see if there was anyone around.

The snake then slowly slithered out of the bush, showing the rest of its huge black-scaled body. It slowly moved toward the rabbits, and Goblin Slayer slowly moved his hand to the hilt of his shortsword.

The snake was now close to the bait. It raised its head before sniffing the dead rabbits. It opened its mouth, revealing the large fangs underneath, ready to eat the seemingly easy prey.

That was Goblin Slayer's sign. He quickly unsheathed his shortsword and jumped down from the branch. With his shortsword in a reverse grip, he impaled the snake through its upper jaw with the end of the blade bursting through the lower jaw, closing the snake's mouth.

The snake began writhing, but Goblin Slayer held on tight. He then reached to his saber with his free hand and quickly pulled it out along with it slashing through the snake's neck, causing blood to burst from it and dousing Goblin Slayer's armor in red with the snake letting out pained sounds.

The snake continued struggling against Goblin Slayer's grip but he didn't relent. He grunted a few times as he himself struggled to keep the snake in check. He then once again slashed at its throat, deepening the wound and causing more blood to spurt from it. He slashed at it once again, this time with more strength than the last and slashed off the snake's head off completely.

The moment the head separated the body fell back down and still continued moving due to the nerves still processing the brain signals. Goblin Slayer now panted, the snake was a challenge just like many other monsters. He saw the head of the snake on his shortsword before he pulled out letting the head drop on the ground along with the now motionless body.

He swung his swords to get rid of the copious amounts of blood on them before sheathing them back. It was yet another successful mission. It may not have been goblins but it sure was just as bothersome. He then put the snake's head into the bag to bring proof of his success.

* * *

Sometime later, he arrived back to the Adventurer's Guild. He wasn't wearing his armor as he left it to be cleaned but he did carry his saber with him. He was greeted by the familiar sight of Guild Girl.

"Hey there! How was the mission?" she asked with a smile on her face. He was honestly glad to see her smiling after the time of sadness the Guild went through and smiled back at her.

"It went well. That monster is gone," Goblin Slayer answered.

Guild Girl nodded before pulling up out the contract for the quest. "Alright then. Let's do the usual paperwork." She said to which he just nodded, grabbed a quill and filled out the paperwork. "Ok. And here's your payment." She took out a bag of coins which he accepted.

"Thank you," he said before putting the bag away. "I'm going to visit the memorial. I don't have any more business in the Guild."

Guild Girl's smile faltered. "I see. Well then, see you later I suppose."

Goblin Slayer then put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile. "Don't worry. We're still having that date tomorrow. I didn't forget."

Her smile returned. "See you tomorrow then."

He gave her a nod before getting out of the Guild.

Goblin Slayer found himself at the memorial very soon. He stood in front of the tablet where all the names of the fallen were written. Many of them started to finally see him as a comrade after all those years, but now that didn't seem to matter anymore. Seeing those names made him once again feel sadness.

His eyes then once again landed on Conan's name. He was very glad that they put him there. Despite being a man from another unfamiliar continent, he was a part of this town and the Guild as well as everyone else.

Goblin Slayer took out his saber and planted the tip into the ground before resting his palms on it, closing his eyes and bowing his head. He knew that Conan was the type of man who would rather be respected in such a way and not with simple flowers. He was a warrior through and through, dying with a blade in his hand to protect his comrades, and that's the way that Goblin Slayer was going to honor him.

If there was an afterlife, he hoped that Conan was there and watching over him. Perhaps Conan met his sister there and they were joking on how he behaved. It was a really calming thought. Though he could also see his sister scolding Conan for having a lifestyle she probably wouldn't approve of and them having comical arguments over that. A smile crept up on Goblin Slayer's face when he thought about it.

Still, though, he missed having the towering barbarian in his life. He honestly started feeling alive after a long time, where the only thing in his mind was on destroying goblins and being oblivious to the people around him, and how Conan made him see that. And he didn't even deter him from killing goblins as others did, just told him to change his tune a little. No doubt surprising to many, Conan was a positive influence in his, one he would have been glad to have had around more.

But he was for what he had now. Now he pursued the relationships of the women that were pining for his attention, and he continued practicing his saber skills just as Conan taught him. He was a better man than what he was before.

"Hey, Orcbolg," came the voice of High Elf Archer causing him to turn to her direction. He saw her standing next to him and smiling slightly. "I figured you'd be here." She walked up to him and looked at the memorial. "I see that you still miss him."

"Yes," he simply answered. "He did so much for me. For all of us. He wanted to return to his home but ended up sacrificing himself to save us instead. I wish there was a way I could repay that debt."

She looked sadly at him. "You can repay him by living your life to the fullest," she said before a small grin appeared on his face. "Besides, didn't he say that life is too short to spend it grieving?"

Goblin Slayer also got a grin on his face. "Yes, that was exactly what he would say." After that, there was a moment of silence before Goblin Slayer picked up his saber, wiped some dirt from the tip and sheathing it back. "But it doesn't hurt to pay your respects."

"No, it doesn't. It definitely doesn't," she said before getting closer to Goblin Slayer. "So," she began before wrapping her arms around Goblin Slayer's arm. "should we go? Tomorrow may be Guild Girl, but today is my turn."

He turned to her and smiled. "Of course. Let's go," he said before the two of them departed.

* * *

**AN: And done! I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite its shortness.**

**See you next time!**


	22. 21 Escape

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's the next chapter! Don't worry, this one is of a more standard length for this story than the last one. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Now to reviews.**

**Legion40k: Well... glad to be of service.**

**Guest: (facepalm) Damn it, I didn't see the connection until I read your review. Man, I feel dumb.**

**Dracus6: More or less, yeah. And of course, those two things are going to happen.**

**Evowizard25: Nice to hear that I can deliver something really satisfying. (And I think I'll check the story out)**

**And now I feel even dumber for not noticing the similarities. And thanks.**

* * *

21 Escape

It was morning in the Guild's training grounds, and it was Spearman and Goblin Slayer's turn to practice, both in their full gear. Spearman struck with a barrage of strikes which Goblin Slayer blocked with either sword or shield. Spearman's last strike then stopped mid-attack but quickly redirected his spear to swipe at Goblin Slayer's feet.

Goblin Slayer, going to block the fake strike, didn't have time to react to Spearman's redirect before it swiped his feet, causing Goblin Slayer to land on his back. Spearman didn't waste time as he crouched over Goblin Slayer with his spear at the downed man's throat.

"Hah! Guess I win this time," Spearman exclaimed with a confident smirk on his face.

To his surprise, Goblin Slayer chuckled. "Look down," he said, making Spearman look at him confused before actually looking down and seeing Goblin Slayer holding his shortsword pointed at his throat.

"Ah, damn it!" he exclaimed before rising from his position, with Goblin Slayer doing the same shortly after. "That's another tie! I was sure I had you this time."

Goblin Slayer sheathed his weapons and took off his helmet. "Well, I saw you do that move on Conan a while back. I knew how to respond from there."

Spearman just rubbed his face in annoyance. Of course Goblin Slayer would remember that move, his memory was honestly a wonder sometimes.

"Well, you two seem to have fun," said Amazon Warrior as she walked up to the two of them. She then turned to Spearman. "You know, you should really stop being a sore loser. Sometimes just accept you just can't win them all."

"Hey, that's not the way to talk to the greatest warrior on the frontier!" Spearman said in an irritated tone.

Amazon Warrior then gave a mocking expression of a shock. "Oh, sorry, I had no idea. When I see him I'll be sure to remember that."

Spearman grumbled at that. He just couldn't get the respect he thought he deserved. Goblin Slayer just shook his head in amusement at the scene. Hanging out with these people never became dull.

The three of them then turned when they saw Female Knight walking towards them, adorned in her usual armor.

"I bring news from the Capital," she said in a serious tone, causing the others to listen intently. "A friend of mine informed me that the King is making a move."

"Is he ready to mobilize troops against Khotan?" Goblin Slayer asked.

To his disappointment, Female Knight shook her head. "He called for the Hero to come with her comrades and deal with Khotan herself."

"You can't be serious," Spearman said with an annoyed tone. "Not to undermine Hero's abilities, but even I doubt she could take on Khotan and all of his troops. He has an army at his disposal for Gods' sake! I doubt even she is capable of dealing with that."

"That's probably because he doesn't think he has enough information about the threat's forces to consider gaining his armies to fight him," Female Knight explained. "Our Guild has suffered heavy losses, but I'm sure the King doesn't see that as such damage that an army is capable off. He probably also thinks that if Hero takes Khotan out then his forces would scatter, so mobilizing the troops wouldn't be necessary."

"But haven't the monsters and other bandits start disappearing even more frequently than before?" Amazon Warrior asked. "Khotan is already exposed, so he obviously doesn't feel the need to do anything discreetly anymore. That should obviously be a sign of great threat."

"Possibly, though I'm sure many nobles would also tell him to wait and investigate further to see if the correlation between these events is valid, as nothing can be concretely confirmed right now. They aren't willing to take us on our word alone. As far as they are concerned, Hero should be enough to deal with the threat."

Goblin Slayer's eyes narrowed. He, like the others with him, decided to volunteer for the King's army when, not if, WHEN the King mobilizes his troops to fight against Khotan's own. However, now that he was more deeply involved with political talk he saw just how frustrating they can be. The threat was obviously there, yet they still need to debate whether or not they should take it seriously? Now he saw why Conan hated politics. They make simple things too complicated.

"The King will have to mobilize his armies, that is a guarantee," Goblin Slayer said with the three of them voicing their agreement. "But if this continues I'm not sure his army will be big enough to fight Khotan's own. When they finally realize the danger the wizard may as well have gathered enough troops to combat the King."

Female Knight gave a sigh. "Unfortunately, that's just how things are. If it were as simple as just taking a contract to take out a monster, then the world would be a happier place."

"So what now?" asked Spearman. "Do we just wait until shit gets real and Khotan's forces are right on our doorsteps?"

"That would seem to be the case," Goblin Slayer commented in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Well, hopefully, Hero can do some damage to Khotan before things get too rough," Amazon Warrior said, though no less annoyed than everyone here.

"Maybe, but there is no guarantee," Goblin Slayer said. "For now, we practice and wait. When the time comes we should at least be ready for a fight."

The others agreed and went back to train for the big fight. The metaphorical dark clouds were looming over them, and they weren't just going to sit and wait for the storm to come.

* * *

Back at Khotan's dungeon, things seemed to be getting worse with Conan's mental state. Before, he was just barely responsive, but for the last few days, he wasn't responding at all. Every time food was brought to him he didn't even touch it. His food and water were just left there. When they saw that what he left untouched went foul, they replaced it and even then he didn't touch it.

They concluded that Conan finally completely snapped. There was absolutely nothing he could do in his situation and it was just too much for his mind to handle.

The servant from before was once again just bringing the food and water as before, reaching the door, the guards unlocking it and him entering. It was a routine that annoyed him to no end. There was no point to it. The barbarian was more or less dead anyway. And he is going to completely die from dehydration since he apparently didn't even take a sip from his water.

So he entered and was met with an already familiar sight of a slumped over Conan, with the tray he left before once again just laying in front of him with nothing on it even touched. Conan also had a small stream of drool coming from the side of his, which appeared the day before.

The servant walked up to Conan. "And to think that master wasted so much time on you, seeing you as a great threat. Look at you, you are no more threatening than a newborn kitten," the servant mocked as he looked over Conan's still form. "Why on Earth am I even talking to you? You probably can't even hear me right now." He then cast a glance at the tray he was holding and the tray below. "You know what, I think you don't even need this anymore. Yes, I'm just going to leave with this. You don't touch anything on it anyway so nothing changes."

He turned around and walked with the tray still in his hand. The barbarian will no doubt soon be dead and he would finally get out of these stupid dungeons.

He then heard the sound of someone clearing his throat behind him. He turned around to who it was, but his face was met with a heavy brick that impacted his skull, making a part of it explode which caused the floor to be sprayed with bone remains, blood and brain matter. His body fell on the ground, still leaking blood, along with a tray that made a metallic clang as it fell and scattered its contents.

Conan stood over the now-dead servant, smirking at his work. The chains that shackled him were still bound to his wrists, but from them dangled two bricks.

"What's going on in there?" one of the guards asked as they entered the room.

Conan moved swiftly, swinging the chain with the brick on the end and hitting one of the guards on his helmeted head. The impact caused the brick to break into pieces and the helmet to have a huge dent in it, digging into the guard's skull, cracking his entire skull, killing him.

The last guard looked in shock as his partner's body was thrown aside from the Cimmerian's attacking and landing on the ground dead. His gaze went back on Conan but the barbarian didn't give him time to do much as he grabbed his polearm so he couldn't use it, caught the chain at the end and bringing the brick down hard right on the top of his head. The second brick shattered as well but like the previous one, it left a huge dent in it, making it dig through the guard's skull and into his brain. The last guard fell on the ground as dead as the other two men.

Conan then quickly crouched and began searching the guards for keys. He had to give it to Thugra Khotan. The chains he made were indeed unbreakable. It was unfortunate that the bricks they were embedded into were not.

He found the keys on the guard whose head he caved in and tried putting several in the keyhole on his shackles before finding the right one and unlocking them. He may be free, but those chains would more than likely be just a hindrance than an asset.

He tried to look for some swords on those guards but found they didn't have any. That would have made the escape a lot easier but it seemed that hardship has won over once again.

He then ran out of the cell and went left, from what he heard by their footsteps this was the way they came from. While he ran through the torch-lit hallway he crossed several other cells and some regular entrances before reaching a stairway that led upward. He was about to go up but he saw several shadows coming down and quickly backed away from the staircase.

He then saw one of the entrances near and quickly opened the door and entered. Luckily, those didn't appear to be locked so it was safe from him to enter. The room he entered in was dark, but the small opening on the door slightly lit it up and Conan saw several barrels in there. What they were containing he didn't know, but it honestly didn't matter.

He saw several more armored men walk past his hiding place. No doubt it was their shift to watch over him. Once they all passed him, he partially opened the door and moved as swiftly and stealthily as panther out of it and up the stairs. After two left turns, he found himself on the upper floor, his back against the wall as he peeked to see if there were any guards there.

"He escaped! Hurry, warn the others!"

Conan heard the words come from the downstairs and swiftly moved from his position and ran through the square hallway of this floor. The cells were different on this floor, this time being made of metal bars instead of the wooden doors like the ones below which made the inside the of the cells visible.

He saw the next set of stairs but stopped before something caught his eye. He caught a glimpse of another prisoner here, meaning he wasn't the only one here. He then ran to the cell, which more or less out of a good view from the stairs, and saw someone familiar.

The person inside the was a woman dressed in rags also with shackled wrists, she had long brown hair but her eyes were closed as she appeared to be sleeping. She seemed familiar to him, but when he got a good look at her face he recognized her. It was Female Martial Artist! So she was one of the survivors, though unfortunately captured.

"Hey wake up!" Conan called out. She began to stir and her eyelids twitch before opening them, she appeared to glare at him, no doubt thinking that he was a guard, but once her eyes began adjusting she saw that in front of her was a large man simply dressed in loincloth and boots.

Once she got a good look her eyes lit up in joy. "Conan! It's you!" she exclaimed.

Conan quickly put his index finger on his lips shushed her. He then heard several quick footsteps coming from the other side of the hallway and pressed his back against the wall. He cast a quick look and saw several guards walking up the stairway that went to the next floor.

Once the coast was clear, he once again approached the cell. "Good to see you're alive, girl. Are there any more prisoners?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I think we're the only ones," she said.

"They didn't have anyone to guard you?"

"They did, but they abandoned their posts. They said that they were wasting their time."

Conan grumbled under his breath. Well, that made things even more complicated. Without the guards, there was no key to open door. He now wished he didn't leave the keys from before as he was only concerned about himself getting out and not taking in the possibility of there being others.

"Can't you snap your bonds?" asked Conan as he looked at her chains. They seemed to be made of regular metal and not something special that his own were made from.

She shook her head. "I tried, but I'm low on energy."

Well, that at least confirmed that normally she could break them so that should make his task easier. He needed to act quick.

He grasped the metal barred door of her cell and pulled with all his might. The hinges bent and screeched under the force they were put through as Conan's iron muscles pulled on the door. He gave a large grunt before the hinges gave in broke with a sound that echoed throughout the hallway.

Conan threw the door aside, which clanged on the floor, before quickly running into the cell.

"What are you doing?" Female Martial Artist asked in a whispered but shocked tone. "They surely heard that."

"I know," Conan said before approaching her and grabbing her chain. "Which means we have to be quick. Quickly, grab the other part."

She obliged, having a good idea of what he was thinking, and grabbed the chain. Both of them began pulling in opposite directions, causing the chain link to snap. They quickly repeated the process on the other chain, freeing her.

She got up and stretched, cracking sounds appeared as her muscles tensed. "So what now? They'll be here any second."

Conan only motioned her to follow to which she happily obliged. He then motioned towards one of the rooms and they quickly walked in when they heard the footsteps coming down. They closed the door of the room but kept themselves close to the door to see how their pursuers will act.

"Look over there!" one of them exclaimed to which they heard several of them gather in front of the cell where Female Martial Artist was kept.

"He freed her! Hurry! Spread out and search for them!" After that order they scattered, but they didn't stop at the room where Conan and his female companion were.

Female Martial Artist then let out a sigh of relief. "Man, that was quite a-" she said before her eyes suddenly went wide when she saw something in front of her.

Conan got curious and followed her gaze and found out why she reacted like that. They were in some sort of torture room. A lot of tables, torture devices and tools were visible even in the dim lighting of the room.

"Well, this is probably why they thought we weren't in there," Female Martial Artist commented as she looked over the room.

"Maybe, but they will look here once they run out of places to look. Which is a good thing, since we'll need to disguise ourselves. We can't just power through them," Conan explained as he tried to use his ears to hear if any would come in this direction.

"And what then?" she asked before picking a tool from a table which looked like some sort of saw knife. "Should we use these to dispose of them?"

Conan shook his head. "We can't afford to get the clothes bloodied. We'll be discovered immediately. We'll need to take them out with our own bare hands," Conan explained before casting her a glance. "You think you'll be capable of doing that?"

She gave him a smirk before fisting her palm. "I may be a bit weak but I can still snap a few necks," she said, confident in her abilities.

Conan smirked back at her before turning back towards the door. They waited to see if someone would come so they could ambush them. Three soldiers came near the torture room.

"Come on, they have to be here somewhere?" one of them said.

Conan smirked as a plan formed in his head. "This is just the opportunity we needed," Conan said with a smile making Female Martial Artist looked at him curiously. Conan slightly cleared his throat and recalled one of the voices he heard from before. "Hey, get over here," Conan said in a different voice than the one he had before, this having a higher pitch to his voice than the low and gruff one he had before. Female Martial Artist actually looked in shock at what she just witnessed.

"Hey, I think that's one of ours," one of them said to the other two. "It's coming from the torture room."

Conan smiled. His plan worked and he moved away from the door further into the shadows. Female Martial Artist understood and moved away.

The door was opened and the three men went inside. They looked around for their caller.

"Hello, are you-" one of them asked but didn't have the time to finish as Conan sprang up from behind them, grabbed two by the neck and lifted them up. The last one, the largest of them, turned to them in surprise as he saw the two of his companions being attacked. He was about to intervene but Female Martial Artist jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his throat.

Conan squeezed their necks, the two of them could barely struggle as life was flashing before their eyes. Conan then decided to end their misery by increasing the strength in his grip and snapped their necks with a crunch.

Female Martial Artist still choked the large man with her legs, he tried to pry her off but she wouldn't relent. She then heaved back, causing the man to stumble before falling backwards on the floor. She then used the muscles in her legs to twist the man's head to the side as a sickening crunch was heard as she snapped his neck.

Once the men were dead, Conan went to check outside the room if there was anyone around to hear them. Finding no one, he quickly went in and closed the door.

They began undressing two of them and clothing themselves for disguise. Both of them were now dressed in chainmail underneath some brown shirts, white pants, and boots with metal helmets covering their heads in which they pulled some of their long hair to make it appear shorter, though with Conan the armor was somewhat of a tight fit. They put the bodies in several caskets filled with metal needles, no doubt used for torture, though with them dead it shouldn't bother them too much.

They got out of the torture room and closed the door. They saw several other guards run through there and stopped when they saw them.

"Have you two seen the prisoners?" one of them asked.

Conan once again used his fake voice. "I think we saw them run down again when you got here," Conan said while pointing at the stairs leading to the lower floor of the dungeon. "Go after them, we'll everyone else upstairs."

The man nodded. "Thanks," he said before turning to the others with him. "Follow me, we can't let them escape." And with that, they ran back down.

Conan smirked before he and Female Martial Artist ran up the stairs to the upper floor.

"It's really creepy when you do that," she said in a quieter tone.

Conan chuckled. "Mimicking sounds got me out of jams before. It's pretty useful," he said as they continued running.

They quickly found themselves on the upper floor and this one wasn't a block of cells. It seemed more like a floor of a regular room, with several people there, five at most, but no one noteworthy. The room was much better lit and there was a door in front of them which seemed to lead out of the building.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" one of them asked.

Conan just turned to Female Martial Artist. "Alright, there is no need for trickery anymore. Let's kill them!" Conan exclaimed before drawing the one-handed sword that belonged to the people they killed before running towards one of the surprised guards and slashing off his head. Female Martial Artist then gave one of them a nasty kick to the head, sending them flying.

Conan then stabbed another through his chainmail armor and quickly pulling out his sword before literally disarming one that went to attack him and stabbing him through the head. Female Martial Artist punched another on the chest several times before dealing a nasty hand chop at his neck, making him suffocate.

Two more guards entered but Conan threw his sword at one of them and pierced him through the neck while his companion kicked the other in the head which caused him to fly backwards and hit the wall with his head embedded into it.

"Now, come on! They no doubt heard the noise downstairs!" Conan exclaimed to which she nodded and both them ran outside.

Once they got outside they saw that they were somewhere out at sea, with another landmass in front of them. They looked around and saw that they were on a small island where the black cube-shaped building was located.

They looked down at the sea beneath the island before looking at each other.

"Well, there is one last thing to do," Conan said causing Female Martial Artist to smile.

Both of them then jumped into the water below.

The many guards in the building ran back on the first floor, frustrated that they didn't find the prisoners where they were told they ran. When they heard the sounds of the fight they immediately got back and saw the carnage left by the two prisoners and the door that was open.

The guards then ran outside and began searching for the prisoners before one of them informed he saw something in the water. They that there was a small trail of clothes left in the water, showing that the prisoners disguised themselves and managed to escape. Needless to say, they weren't very happy.

Conan and Female Martial Artist emerged from the water and took a big gasp of air, finding themselves on the landmass which neighbored the island where they were kept, with both of them dressed in the clothes they wore in prison. Conan played one last trick on the guards with leaving them a trail of clothes which gave away their possible direction while the two of them went in a different direction towards the landmass. Good thing both of them were great swimmers.

They got out of the water and on the solid ground. They didn't waste any time running away.

They ran for what seemed like hours, not stopping and barely looking behind them. They crossed an entire forest and a clearing in record time. After a while, they stopped, and began to take some heavy inhales and exhales as heavy sweat dripped down their heads. They pushed themselves quite far even for people of their own stamina.

"Oh man… I hope to… never do the… same thing again," Female Martial Artist said between heavy pants as she quickly sat down.

"We can't… stop just yet," Conan panted out. "We need to… get back and… warn them… that Khotan is attacking… soon. We need to-" Conan then suddenly collapsed, landing face-first into the grassy ground.

Female Martial Artist looked at him in shock before quickly coming to his side. "Conan! Are you alright?!"

Conan just groaned as he felt that he could hardly move. It looked like he sold the deception a bit too well back then. He did indeed miss out on those meals, taking only tiny fractions that wouldn't be noticed but that still left him starved and dehydrated. Adrenaline was the only thing that kept him going as well as it did until now and when he stopped he finally felt the strain he put on his body.

"I can… barely move," Conan said as he tried to get up but quickly found himself on the ground again. "I don't have… that much strength left."

"Gods damn it!" Female Martial Artist said annoyed. This wasn't good. "Alright, I'll have to carry you. At least until you can move again."

"Are you sure you… still have the strength for it?"

"I'm far less tired than you. Besides, we don't have too much of a choice."

She then grabbed Conan by his arm and shoulder and hefted him up with a small grunt. She slung his arm over her shoulder so she could better support his bodyweight and rose up. The problem was, the barbarian was still a large man with huge muscles and wasn't an easy thing to lift.

The woman groaned as she lifted Conan up. "Ugh! Why did you have to be so big?" she asked before she turned to see him giving her a sly smirk to which she just got annoyed. "You know I didn't mean it that way!" Conan just chuckled at her frustration. "Oh, just you laugh. You aren't the one needing to lift a huge heap of muscles."

Conan stopped chuckling a but a smile remained on his face. "Just trying to lighten up our situation."

"Well, thanks for the effort at least," she said before she began moving while carrying Conan. "I hope you don't mind your feet dragging on the ground. You're quite a bit taller than me."

"Just move. I can handle it."

And so she walked with Conan on her shoulders, still trying to close as much distance between themselves and their captors.

* * *

Back at the dungeon, Thugra Khotan glared at the cell that was previously occupied by Conan. When a report of the barbarian's escape he immediately teleported there to see what happened.

Now he was looking at the chains on the ground that once held Conan. He crouched and picked the chains up. There was no damage on them, but he did notice something in the cells. There were two empty spots on the wall, the spots that previously filled with bricks that he fastened the chains to. He also saw some rocky debris on the ground.

The grip around those chains tightened as he realized what has transpired.

"Master," came the voice of Zaporavo who walked behind Khotan. "I told you we should have just killed him. Now he escaped!"

"I don't need you to remind me that!" Khotan said with a growl in his voice. He has underestimated Conan's intelligence, thinking he was just another brute. But the barbarian had this planned from the very start and played Khotan for a fool. In the end, the wizard had no one to blame but himself. "Scour the area! Find them! Now!"

Zaporavo grumbled before bowing and leaving Khotan's side, intending to pierce the barbarian's heart with his sword when he finds him.

Khotan stood there for a few more moments before letting out a loud growl of anger and throwing the chains on the floor, causing a clang to echo in the empty hallway. He made a vow, he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

The next time he meets Conan, he'll kill the barbarian himself if need be.

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of that! I hope I made the moment you've been anticipating enjoyable. It was fun to write.**

**And for those that don't know, I have written another story. A Star Wars The Old Republic/Akame ga Kill crossover. Check it out if you haven't. I think you'll enjoy it and I'll love to hear your thoughts.**

**See you next time!**


	23. 22 A Hero Has Come

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's another chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. And this one may hold someone you were wanting to see for a while. Though it may not be the way you expected. Hope you enjoy.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Zealot24: Well true that.**

**Well, she is pretty powerful.**

**I'm... not sure what you mean by that.**

**Dracus6: That's a nice scenario, but you'll have to wait and see how the story plays out.**

**Evowizard25: Well, if you think about it, everyone ignored Goblin Slayer and his concerns because there was something else more important. Now that that 'something else' has finally arrived and people still aren't reacting like they should would come as a surprise to him.**

**Yeah, that holy sword is quite something. But as how he would fare against them, you'll see.**

**Yeah, that would be the case, though they didn't recognize each other when they did eventually meet again. But I will have them meet and remember.**

**Guest: Yeah, I feel dumb for not noticing.**

**Yeah, that world is not the best but then again not many are.**

* * *

22 A Hero Has Come

It was around evening as Female Martial Artist moved with heavy steps through a forest in who knows where, as she still carried the mountain of muscles that was Conan of Cimmeria. She walked with the huge man on her shoulder for quite a while, probably a few hours, and she was starting to feel the effects of all that labor. She was dripping with sweat, her muscles ached and she felt like she could collapse any time.

But she was determined, they needed to move as far away as they can. There was no telling just how far is the limit where Khotan's servants could investigate. Even a few meters could be a difference between life and death, and she was very fond of the former. Especially after what she's been through.

"Alright, girl. That's enough," Conan said. "You need to rest as well. It won't do us any good if we both can't move."

"You… sure about that?" she asked through several pants to which Conan gave a nod. "Alright, I'll… stop for now." She then found a good place beneath a tree where a shadow was cast to protect them from the Sun and she put Conan there.

After the barbarian's weight has been lifted off her shoulders, quite literally, she gave a huge stretch which popped a few of her joints and a groan escaped her lips before she sat down on the grass. "Man, carrying you around… is no easy feat," she said as she gave a few small pants before giving Conan a smirk. "I think you should go on a diet." Conan then gave her an unamused look causing her to laugh a bit. "Sorry, I'm just trying to follow your example and lighten the situation."

Conan just shook his head in amusement. The girl really could make a pleasant company.

"Can you stand?" Female Martial Artist asked.

"I'll try," Conan answered before trying to rise up. He groaned, putting his hands on a tree for assistance as his legs slowly pushed his body upwards. After a few seconds, Conan was on his feet but he had his hands on the tree so he could support himself. "Well, I can. But I'm still low on strength."

"No wonder," Female Martial Artist said. "From what you told me you are just about dehydrated. I'm surprised you even lasted this long."

Conan chuckled. "It takes quite a lot to put me down."

"Considering I was there when we fought that Rock Eater, I can attest to that," she said with a smile before she got serious again. "But, we'll need to find some water soon. Even you can't last like this forever."

Conan looked around. There was some lush vegetation around them, he heard a few buzzings of insects around them. He also looked upwards and saw several birds flying in a certain direction.

"There should be a river or some water source nearby," Conan said before pointing in a certain direction. "Try looking there. You should be able to find it."

His companion looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Such lush vegetation and insects are usually a sign of some water nearby, and the birds usually fly to a water source in the evening and other animals usually move towards it," Conan explained getting a somewhat shocked look from Female Martial Artist. "I had to survive in the wilderness quite a bit. It helped me learn a good amount."

"Okay, I'll go," she said before rising. She was about to go but suddenly stopped herself. "What about you? I can't just leave you alone."

"Crom, woman, I'll be fine!" Conan grumbled out. He honestly didn't get why women were so overly concerned about things. "Just go. Water is needed more than me being carried around."

Female Martial Artist sighed. "Fine, fine. I'm going," she said before walking in the direction Conan pointed.

She walked for a few minutes, passing through fallen branches and leaves. As she walked, she saw several squirrels there, which were moving in a certain direction. She remembered what Conan told her about animals going towards the water source so she decided to follow them, as they would be the best guides.

After a while, she thought she heard some low sounds of running water, which made her grin as it was a sign of the end of her search. She increased her pace, almost running towards the source of the sound.

A few moments later, she arrived in a clearer part of the forest and saw what she was searching for. In front of her was a river, going in a slow but steady stream. She immediately kneeled next to it and looked for any signs that the water might be undrinkable. Finding none, she then quickly cupped some water from the and put it near her lips.

As the cold water went past her lips and down her throat, she felt more energized and refreshed. Feeling how thirsty she actually was, she quickly went for another drink and greedily took several more until her thirst was completely quenched.

She wiped the water from her lips as she got a satisfied smile on her face. After all her efforts she felt like she could take on the whole world! Then she suddenly remembered why she was here and ran back to Conan in a hurry.

After bringing the large barbarian to the river he immediately submerged his head into the water, an action which didn't really surprise Female Martial artist since the man went for so long without water, and drank, taking quite a big amount of water.

After a few moments, he pulled his head out of the river and gasped for air, with his head completely drenched along with his black mane of hair. He swung his head to the sides to rid himself of the water. He then rose, his muscles still ached but he felt more energized after this.

"Crom, that felt great," Conan commented before turning towards Female Martial Artists. "Alright, we need to get a move on. We still don't know where we are so going back is going to be a hazard."

"Yeah, but before that," Female Martial artist said before poking his chest with her index finger. "It's time to take a bath. I ain't going around with you smelling bad. I put up with you before because of our situation but now things have changed."

Conan actually gave a groan at that. This woman really had strange priorities.

* * *

A young girl, still in her teenage years, with long red hair and cyan, dressed in a combination of robe and plate armor, was walking through a rocky field with a grin her on her face. She was known as Hero the most powerful adventurer in the world, armed with a holy sword that gave her great power and magic.

Walking next to her were her two companions. Sword Master, a tall woman with black hair and green eyes, dressed in a form-fitting uniform with a white overcoat, steel pauldrons, gauntlets, boots and shin guards, with a longsword at her side, and Sage, a young woman with green hair and purple eyes, dressed in a white robe over a blue dress with a staff in her hand.

The three of them walked towards a huge temple. Which was now adorned with serpent banners to show the status as a place of worship for a god new to this land and a god of the new evil that plagued the land, Set.

They were informed that this temple was the base where the sorcerer Thugra Khotan operated, though he didn't have his armies as they wouldn't fit in the temple. The place itself was old but sturdy, though it did stick out like a sore thumb as it was put on a rocky mountain. Villains do like being flashy, Hero thought.

When the three of them were summoned by the King they were given the mission to deal with the new threat that the wizard presented. Several of the King's spies reported strange activity at what used to be an abandoned temple when they later saw Thugra Khotan himself there. The King didn't waste any time dispatching them.

So here they were, the Hero and her companions ready to once again vanquish evil from the lands. Now in the form of a sorcerer instead of a demon lord.

"So, are you two ready for this?" Hero asked excitedly.

"Are you sure we should just barge in and attack?" Sage asked. "We could sneak around and take Khotan out quickly."

"Oh don't be a spoilsport, where's the fun in that? We are more than capable," protested Hero at her mage friend.

"Be as it may, we shouldn't take him too lightly," said Sword Master in a serious tone. "We aren't sure what this man is capable of himself."

"I honestly doubt a wizard could possess more power than the Demon Lord," commented Hero as they continued walking towards the temple. "Come on girls, let's hurry up."

And with that, they ran towards the temple, a big structure made of several domed roofs and towers, repainted in black. They quickly arrived at the front door which was three times the size of a normal person and made out of some metal substance.

Several guards ran out, which consisted of humans and monsters, like trolls and apemen.

"Who are you?! What are you doing at master Khotan's residence?!" one of them asked as he pointed his spear at the intruders.

Hero just gave him a grin. "Oh, we are just here for a little visit," she said before taking out her sword which started to glow. "In fact, we were just about to knock."

And the next second, the huge door exploded inwards along with all the guards that were in the Hero's way.

The three of them entered inside the temple with Hero jumping high in the air before landing in a dynamic pose with her sword. "Watch out, villains! The Hero has arrived!"

"Still a showoff," muttered sage as she entered along with Sword Master though in a less flashy manner inside the temple which contained several ornate decorations and objects.

In front of them were several more soldiers and demon-like servants, a red carpet was leading towards a throne-like chair on which sat a man who matched the description of Thugra Khotan. A man with long black hair and beard, dressed in green royal robes and jewels. He looked unamused as he looked upon the three heroes.

"Humph! So you're the Hero everyone warned me about," Khotan stated as he rose from his chair. "I must admit I did not expect you to be a child."

Hero just shrugged at the response. "That's what most of them say. I guess they can't stand the thought of being defeated by a 'little girl'."

"And you thought that just forcing your way straight into my domain would be a smart idea. You do have a mindset of a child indeed."

"That's just how she is," said Sage as she and Sword Master walked up to their companion. "But at least she can back it up."

Hero pouted as her friend pretty much also said that she was a child, but grinned again after the praise. The mage may be a bit cold but she was a good friend nonetheless.

Sword Master took out her single-edged longsword and pointed it threateningly at Khotan. "You should just surrender. We have taken down threats far worse than you. If you have any value on your life that would be the smartest move you can make."

Khotan just glared at Sword Master after she finished her threat. "Arrogant children! You will see the consequences of attacking a High Priest of Set!" Khotan exclaimed before turning towards his servants. "Kill them!"

The demons pounced on them, but Hero just smirked as she swung her sword faster than they could react and cut some of them in half, spraying their blood on the carpeted floor. Sword Master followed suit by swinging her own sword and cutting off the heads of two and cleaving through many of the armored soldiers.

Sage then put up her staff. "Repulse!" she exclaimed as her staff pulse before a wave blast shot out of it, sending their enemies flying like ragdolls.

Many more swarmed the area, ready to tear the three women apart, but they were able to cut through them or set them ablaze with magic. None of the soldiers survived.

Khotan just growled at the slaughter of his servants as Hero smiled triumphantly and pointed at the wizard with her sword. "Now then, how about you-" she was interrupted as a stream of fire suddenly erupted from Khotan's mouth straight at her. She gasped before quickly moving out of the way, letting the torrent of flame pass her though it went towards her friends and increased in width as it went further.

Sage quickly went in front of Sword Master. "Shield!" she exclaimed as a bright yellow orb surrounded both her and her sword-wielding friend, causing the stream of fire to hit the magic shield go past them without doing any damage.

Hero then turned back at the wizard as he stopped his fire magic. "Attacking without warning, eh? Perhaps you are smarter than-"

"Your blabbering annoys me," Khotan interrupted her before extending his arms. A dark green mist appeared from his sleeves and spread across the room. Hero quickly backed away when she saw the mist melt the bodies of the Khotan's servants. "Let's see you overcome the poison of Set."

Once Hero was an appropriate distance away she grinned. "Gladly," she said before getting ready to swing her sword as it started glowing. "Magic disperse!" Her sword glowed brightly with holy energy before she swung it causing all the mist in the room to dissipate immediately.

"What?!" Khotan exclaimed in surprise as he saw the girl's attack easily disperse his magic. That weapon, it was no doubt imbued with some sort of godly magic to be able to accomplish such a feat.

Sword Master gave out a yell as she quickly dashed at Thugra Khotan, ready to cleave him in half with her sword. Khotan moved out of the way of her attack, which cut through his throne.

Before he could make a retaliation he heard "Repulse!" before he pushed backwards by an invisible force, the same as his servants were. Then he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and his body stopped flying back. He looked down and saw a sword blade sticking out of his chest, coated in his blood. He looked behind him and saw the grinning form of Hero holding the sword which pierced him.

"And another baddie goes down!" she exclaimed before quickly taking her sword out, a making Khotan reel in pain and spit blood from his mouth.

The High Priest of Set quickly found himself on his knees with his hands on his wound, trying desperately to stop the flow of blood the streamed on the floor and muddied his royal robes.

Sword Master and Sage joined their friend to look at the mighty wizard who was now reduced to a struggling weakling. Khotan then stopped struggling before slumping down on the floor, lifeless, with his blood forming a small puddle beneath him.

"Well, that's the end of that," Sword Master commented before sheathing her sword.

Hero sighed. "Man, and I was thinking he would put up a better fight," she commented as she looked at the dead body of the wizard that said to be the next great threat to the world.

However, Sage's eyes narrowed. Something didn't seem right. "Wait, let me check something," she said before pointing her staff at the body. "Negate illusion!" Her staff glowed for a moment as Khotan's body did as well.

Once the glow stopped they were shocked to see that the body wasn't Khotan, but of some man with short red hair and a clean-shaven face.

"Wait a minute! That wasn't Thugra Khotan?!" Hero said in shock as she looked at the body of this random man, with Sword Master's face also reflecting that shock.

Sage was now worried. What could this mean? Why this illusion? What on Earth did Khotan plan to achieve? Her mind slowly came up with solutions before her eyes widened at concluding on one.

They were lured into a trap!

She tried to look around before gasping as she saw something coming down from above them

Outside the temple everything was peaceful, anyone would be ignorant of what was happening within the large structure. But suddenly, several explosions could be heard from inside it. A wall suddenly burst as an explosion hit it, several more followed as more explosions appeared, shaking the ground.

A few moments later the entire structure collapsed due to the explosions, domes caving in and towers tumbling down, a large crashing noise permeated quite a distance. Dust and debris rose up from the destruction as the entire temple was reduced to rubble.

In the middle of the devastation, there was yellow orb with three people inside it. Sword Master and Hero crouched with their hands put over their heads, and Sage holding tightly onto her staff. Her head was dripping with sweat and her teeth were gritted as she kept the spell active.

Sage then saw that they were in no danger and deactivated her shield. The moment she did, her vision became blurry, she started aching and losing balance. She weaved for a moment before her staff fell out of her hands and she began collapsing forward, with Sword Master quickly coming to her aid and grabbing her before she could fall.

Hero then quickly went to see her friend. "Hey, is she alright?!" she asked worriedly.

Sword Master held Sage in her arms, checking for her vital signs. The woman was alive but unconscious. "She will be fine. She is just suffering from mana exhaustion," Sword Master explained as she looked reassuringly at Hero. She honestly wasn't surprised at her friend's state. She just protected them from a bombardment of explosions and an entire temple collapsing on top of them. Such an effort would normally kill many other mages.

Hero narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth in anger, her grip on her sword tightening immensely. "That Wizard… he tricked us!" she said, angry at her friend's condition.

"Calm down," Sword Master said as she saw Hero's frustration. "We need to go to the nearest village so she can get treatment. I cannot say how severe is her mana exhaustion so you better calm yourself and help her get through this."

Hero immediately calmed down after hearing that. As much as she was angry, she cared about her friend a lot more. She nodded before both of them turned and ran away from the ruined temple.

* * *

Meanwhile, Khotan was observing the whole thing through a special crystal ball, looking at how his plan was unfolding.

He was planning this scheme for a while now. After gaining much information about the Hero he knew this was a situation where he needed to play smart. Hero and her companions were able to take out a demon lord, something that Khotan knew was extraordinary.

So he came up with a special trap. He knew that the King had his spies searching for him, so he decided to give them a false trail, making them believe that he was planning on having that temple be his secret base of operations. He succeeded in this by picking up one of his servants as a decoy, and transferring some of his magic to him, using an illusion to disguise the servant as him, and then using a special mind transfer magic so he could technically be there when they confronted the doppelganger. That way, he could observe in person what the three were capable of.

He had to admit that he was surprised to see that the Hero was no more than a teenager, but he learned the hard way that the appearances can be deceiving.

One final part of this trap were those special exploding seeds. Once they took out the decoy and relax at the false victory, he would use his spell on the places he marked and teleport a great amount of the exploding seeds inside the temple and right above their heads.

He hoped that this would be enough to kill them and rid himself of one of the nuisances, but after the dust settled he was disappointed to see that their mage protected them from his assault. But he was somewhat pleased to see she used so much of her magic to make sure they weren't harmed. That is definitely something that won't be easy to recover from.

There was a small victory in that. With them being so concerned over their ally, they would most likely stop to help her recover and not interfere in his plans for at least a short while. Though that short while would give him just enough time to gather his armies and conquer this continent.

In the end, neither Hero, Conan, nor anyone else will be able to stop him. He is going to become the ruler of this land and after that, he is going to return back to his homeland and reclaim the kingdom that was once his. And then, the entire world will follow.

For the glory of Thugra Khotan. For the glory of Set!

* * *

**AN: And that's where I'm ending it for now. I bet you didn't think I would incorporate Hero into this in such a way. I hope that it did end up enjoyable.**

**See you next time!**


	24. 23 The Return

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And after uploading two chapters on my other story I finally update my Conan story. Hope I didn't make you wait for too long.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Dracus6: Those are some nice predictions but don't get your hopes up for them.**

**Evowizard25: Well, it would take about a week. The strain she put in that single spell would be tremendous after all. And Khotan actually is somewhat familiar with this world's magic, that's how he knew that she would be out of commission for a little while. And yeah, he is definitely arrogant when it comes to his prowess but even he knows not to underestimate someone. He learned that much.**

**Guest: Wow, that's harsh. I wouldn't exactly call her a bad character, just a really overconfident one. Something she can certainly back up, but I didn't really see others trying to pull off such a deception on her so I went with that.**

* * *

23 The Return

Conan and Female Martial Artist walked through a grassy field. Though there was a slight difference in their current state than their previous one. Conan's right forearm was adorned with scratch marks while Female Martial Artist's rags were torn on her midriff where there were three vertical scratch marks on her stomach area.

The sun high up, signaling noon, while the two moved silently along one of nature's most beautiful creations, with the only sounds being the wind or their feet stomping on the ground

Though that silence was quickly abandoned as Female Martial Artist gave a large groan of annoyance. "Gods damn it! We've been walking for days already!"

Conan gave a deep sigh at the comment. "Yes, I know. I was with you."

She then sharply turned to him. "Don't give me that attitude!" she said in a raised tone. "Despite how much we walked we still have no idea where we are! I'm not sure if we're moving closer to home or further away! We haven't seen any living creatures besides animals to hunt and that bear we had to strangle so it doesn't maul us!"

Now it was Conan's turn to groan. "If only I was stuck with a man. I wouldn't hear so much complaining."

This infuriated Female Martial Artist further. "We are on the run from a crazed wizard, forced to sleep in the wilds with one of our eyes open in case Khotan's men, some animal or monster tries to eat us as we have minimal protection, and need to warn our friends about the very near invasion he plans so they don't end up dead like the others. So excuse me if I'm feeling a bit frustrated right now!" she ranted loudly before composing herself and looking regretful. "Sorry, I… didn't mean to snap."

Conan just waved dismissively. He was honestly used to people ranting about dangerous and desperate situations with how many have been his companions. Though he also honestly wished that most of them lived.

"It's nothing," Conan simply said with a dismissive voice.

Female Martial Artist gave a sad smile. "You know, I still can't believe they are actually gone," she said in a lower tone. "If I'm being honest, this doesn't feel real."

That got Conan's attention. He turned towards his female companion. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, think about it," she said. "So many of our guildmates are dead, there is an evil wizard that is trying to kill the rest of them, we are desperate and on the run to warn them without any sign of improvement." The somber tone in her voice increased with each point. "It honestly doesn't feel real."

Then she suddenly yelped as she felt something hit her behind. Her hand immediately went to nurse it before she turned angrily at Conan.

"Did that feel real enough?" Conan asked with a slight smirk.

"You…! Why on the Hell did you do that, you pervert?!" she yelled, not believing the man had the nerve to actually give her a spank.

Conan raised an eyebrow at the word she called him. "I have no idea what that is," he said causing her to look at him in shock. "It doesn't matter. Look, things do seem the worst right now, and believe me, I know such a feeling. But in the end, it's all real. It doesn't matter how bad it becomes it doesn't change the fact that it's happening. Denying reality isn't going to help you any."

Female Martial Artist's face softened at Conan's words. He was indeed right. This situation was happening, it was bad and that was it. Complaining about it won't help.

But there was once thing she could complain about. She turned back to Conan, her face once again angry. "Did you really have to slap my ass to prove that point?"

Conan just smirked in amusement. "Well, it was effective, wasn't it?" he asked before giving a small laugh.

Female Martial Artist just grumbled some curses under her breath. The two of them soon found themselves walking up a hill.

"The moment we find some civilization I'm going to give you a piece of my mind," she said while still giving Conan a slight glare.

"Well, I hope you already found the words for it," Conan said making her look at him confused. He pointed over the hilltop which they were near. Female Martial Artist looked at where Conan was pointing at and her face immediately brightened.

As if Fate decided to give them a chance, there was a small village in the distance. Female Martial Artist couldn't believe it. Finally, there was some hope for them. Conan just looked pleased.

The village they found was called Forest Village, named after their business in forestry. When the two of them arrived they were met with strange looks from the villagers due to their condition. They explained that they were adventurers which the populace wasn't sure to accept as true, but one of the men recognized Female Martial Artist as she was the one who saved him from a monster about a year ago.

Some of the villagers took them in and gave them some proper food and drink, to which both were grateful for, especially Female Martial Artist. It looked like their luck has finally turned around.

They explained the situation to the mayor of the village, how they needed to go back to the Adventurer's Guild as quickly as possible and to warn their allies of the incoming threat from Thugra Khotan and his army. The mayor was shocked to hear the news and concerned over what fate may befall them if they didn't help Conan and Female Martial Artist get back as fast as possible, he gave them some better clothes, horses so they could travel as fast as they could and some weapons, though Female Martial Artist refused, preferring to use her arms and legs as weapons.

The two of them were soon seated on their horses. Conan was provided with some black pants and a red shirt, and a shortsword as a weapon, while Female Martial Artist wore a white blouse and black shorts, her hair once again tied in a ponytail.

"I'm sorry we couldn't provide you with more," said the Mayor as he stood next to them. "Our village doesn't have so many weapons, and armor is even scarcer. And our very few guards need it."

"No need to worry," Female Martial Artist said with a reassuring smile as she sat on her white horse. "We can handle ourselves just fine as we are. You've done enough." She then turned towards Conan. "How long do you think will take us to get back of we hurry."

"A day, perhaps. Two at most," Conan said as he grabbed the reigns of his black stallion. "But we still better not waste any more time. The sooner they know that Khotan will attack the better."

She gave him a nod. "Right."

And the two companions rode off quickly, dust trailing behind them, as they moved with determination to warn the others of the approaching storm.

* * *

Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer was at the market with Cow Girl, delivering some products to vendors and others in need of some farm goods. The day was bright and sunny, which made it perfect for such deliveries. He was currently giving a package to a man who in turn gave him a bag of coins.

Goblin Slayer then retreated to the cart, where Cow Girl was waiting for him. Though, now that he looked at his girlfriend, her mind seemed to be somewhere else as she stared in the distance.

As he approached, he noticed the cart was empty, which meant she finished with her own deliveries. And since he finished with his own, it meant that they were done for today.

"Are you alright?" Goblin Slayer asked, gaining Cow Girl's attention.

"Oh, I'm just fine," she said as she gave him a small smile. "Just, thinking is all."

"Don't tell me you still blame yourself for what happened?" Goblin Slayer asked in concern. Not too long after they came back, Cow Girl blamed herself over the deaths of the adventurers. It took a while for Goblin Slayer to calm her down but he eventually did.

"No, it's not that," she said. "I'm just… worried. You plan on fighting against this Thag… Thur… whatever you call him." She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm afraid I might lose you." Her voice cracked as her eyes watered. "And I already lost too much." A tear flowed down her cheek as she remembered her parents and her uncle. Goblin Slayer was the only one in her life now. Losing him would just be unbearable.

Goblin Slayer hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I really am." The tone he had was a comforting one. "I'm worried as well. Not for my wellbeing, but for you. Before I never had any fear of death, if I died while killing goblins that would have been enough." He then pulled back and looked her straight in the eyes. "But if my death hurts you, or anyone else, then I'll make sure I don't die."

Cow Girl smiled at the speech. He really has changed since not too while ago. But even then he still worried about others rather than himself. Still, one thought lingered in her mind. "Then why… why are you so determined to go and fight against the threat? Shouldn't the Hero be more than enough to take care of him?"

Goblin Slayer blinked before realizing that she hadn't heard the news. "She tried, but Khotan was able to lure her into a trap and almost kill her. Her companion Sage saved them but she got a severe case of mana exhaustion. Sage is still recovering." And that was news that traveled really far really fast. He heard it when he was at the Adventurer's Guild. Everyone else in the Guild heard as well causing the entire hall to erupt in frantic conversations. After that, some were even discouraged to actually contribute to the fighting against Thugra Khotan.

And everywhere else people reacted even worse. Many regular people were demoralized and began fearing for their lives, no longer confident in their protectors. Goblin Slayer knew that the King would have no choice but make a decision on gathering his forces.

"I… see," Cow Girl said as she looked down sadly. "So you think you have no choice in the matter?"

"If we are to survive, then I'm certain I'll need to help," Goblin Slayer said. "Even a single man can make a difference. If my presence helps you and everyone else live through this, then I'll do it in a heartbeat."

Cow Girl could only smile at his determination. He could be really inspiring when he wanted to be. She could try to discourage him, tell him to stay and be with her, but she knew that would be a selfish thing to do. If he could prevent other people from losing their loved ones, then who is she to stop him?

"Alright then," she said before taking his hand in her own. "You have my full support. But… promise me you'll come back alive."

Goblin Slayer smiled before putting his other hand on hers. "I promise, I will."

"Thank you," she said before rising on her toes and giving him a kiss full on the lips which he gladly returned while putting his arms around her waist and she put hers behind his neck. They lasted for a while before they separated.

"So, should we get the cart back to the farm?" Goblin Slayer asked with a smile which caused her to giggle.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

At the entrance of the city stood two guards, each one holding a spear in their hand as they looked over at the road leading into town.

One of the guards looked at the other one, seeing him look somewhat dejected.

"Hey, is there something wrong?" the First Guard asked.

The Second Guard looked at him. "Oh, it's nothing really. Just thinking," he said as his gaze once again went back to the road. "Say, do you remember one of the adventurers that died, the one called Conan?"

"Yes, I've heard of him," the First Guard answered.

"You know, he was a pretty outstanding guy. Talked with him a few times," the Second Guard said. "I was the one he first met when he arrived in the city. I pointed him at the direction of the Adventurer's Guild."

"You did?"

"I did. I can still remember how he came, walking down this very road. It wasn't that too long ago actually. And he still made a name for himself. Taking out a demon in his very first quest from the Adventurer's Guild and earning a Silver rank in record time."

"Whoa, really?"

"Yeah, you should have seen him. Walking away from the town with other Silver-ranked adventurers. They seemed like a real team of heroes." He then gave a sigh as he looked upwards. "Now that was a real man. If only he lived longer, he would have been a real legend."

"Um, is that him?" the First Guard asked.

Those words brought the Second Guard's attention back to his colleague and saw that he was pointing at something. He looked at the spot he was pointing at and saw some figures on a horse riding on the road. His gaze was focused on the approaching figures as their appearances became clear, causing his eyes to go wide.

"No way."

* * *

At the Adventurer's Guild, Goblin Slayer was seated on one of the bigger tables along with Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman, Spearman, Female Knight, High Elf Archer, and Amazon Warrior.

"So the King is finally mobilizing his troops?" Goblin Slayer asked Female Knight who nodded.

"Yes. After the whole situation with the Hero, he knows he doesn't have any other options. However, the actions of Thugra Khotan made some other nobles backed out of the fight, saying that they won't risk fighting someone as powerful as that sorcerer," Female Knight explained with a serious and somewhat angry expression, even she not being pleased by what she heard.

Spearman scoffed. "Bunch of cowards. Once things happen that actually require them to act they hide under their beds."

Goblin Slayer shared the man's sentiment. These people were about to be killed by Khotan and his armies and instead of fighting they choose to not act? These people were really getting on his nerves.

"It's only natural for people to be afraid for their lives," Lizard Priest said. "Think of it from their perspective. Why would they fight a battle they think they can't win?"

High Elf Archer slammed her fist on the table. "But there is no guarantee that they would lose! If anything, they would lose because of them backing out. They should at least still fight for their lives!"

Dwarf Shaman took a drink from his cup and sighed. "If only things were so simple, Long Ears. But people's minds can be complicated and irrational."

"Hah! Complicated?!" exclaimed Amazon Warrior as she got an annoyed look on her face. "There is nothing complicated about this. The next course of action is very clear but those people are spineless cowards. The Amazons would never back away from something like this. I swear to you, you'll see my Amazon sisters in the next battle!"

"Yeah, that's good and all but from I can tell you people aren't exactly numerous, despite how good you are," Spearman said which gained him a glare from the muscled woman but he ignored it and turned towards High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman. "Would any of your people help us?"

Dwarf Shaman wiped some ale from his lips before smiling. "Of course. I'm certain most of the dwarves will be more than willing to fight."

High Elf Archer, on the other hand, contemplated for a bit. "Well, I honestly can't be completely sure about the involvement of the elves, but you could probably expect help from at least half of High Elf nobility."

Lizard Priest gave a nod. "The Lizardmen would most likely also take part. There is no logic in ignoring something like this."

"Other Guilds may also join the war as well," Female Knight commented as she put a hand on her chin in thought. "However, that doesn't guarantee that the numbers will be balanced between the King's army and Khotan's. We aren't even sure when he plans on attacking."

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised if most of them refuse," Goblin Slayer said with his arms crossed. "Compared to war, adventuring would more than likely seem like something far easier and assuring."

"Oh, come on, Goblin Slayer. Not all adventurers are scums that are in it for easy money. I mean, we're the certainly a good example," Spearman said as he pointed at the rest of the Guild.

"Yet the rest here agreed to help me repel the goblins after they were offered gold for each one. They were pretty hesitant before," Goblin Slayer said as he looked Spearman sternly in the eyes. "People here might be motivated now because of everyone they lost to Khotan, but other guilds aren't in the same position."

"Okay, that's enough!" Amazon Warrior said as she looked at Goblin Slayer. "I see where this is going and we aren't having this argument here. We're here to discuss the situation and what should we do next. So we should stick to that."

Goblin Slayer stared at her for a moment before giving a sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Spearman just rubbed the back of his head as he did think of actually retorting towards Goblin Slayer's claim but that probably would end up in unnecessary arguing.

The front door of the Adventurer's Guild opened, causing Guild Girl to give her signature smile. "Welcome to the Adventure's Guild. How may… I… help you," she stuttered as she saw the figures in front of her.

Conan and Female Martial Artist stood there with smirks on their faces as they saw the slackjawed expression on Guild Girl's face.

Female Martial Artist then turned towards the unsuspecting members of the Guild as they continued doing their everyday casual things. "Hey, guys! We're back!" she exclaimed loudly with a wave of her hand.

Everyone in the Guild Hall looked at the person who called them and when they actually saw who was standing at the door the reactions were numerous, from gasps, wide eyes, jaws hanging open, exclamations and other. Dwarf Shaman even dropped a flagon from how shocked he was.

"No way!"

"They're here!"

"HOW?!"

The seven adventurers seated at the table were actually the most silent. They couldn't believe their eyes to see the Cimmerian standing there. They have come to terms that he was gone, as death was something that could take everyone at any time despite how someone felt about it. To see him there, with a smile on his face, it didn't seem real.

Conan looked around to see their reactions. "What? You act like you've seen a ghost."

* * *

**AN: And here we are. Conan and Female Martial Artist came back to their fellow adventurers. To see how exactly the main cast reacts you'll have to wait for the next chapter.**

**And I implore you, check out my other story if you haven't already. I guarantee that it is worth your time. **

**See you next time!**


	25. 24 Passions in the Night

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And here's the next chapter! I hope I didn't make you wait for too long. With college now back I'm probably going to be even less frequent but hey, that's life.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Guest: Um, I'm not sure what exactly you mean by that.**

**Evowizard25: Well, wait no more, here is the next chapter.**

**Dracus6: Ok dude, I really think you should calm down with predictions. You may end up disappointed.**

**Guest(2): Ok, now that's being a bit too harsh. I mean yeah, she is straightforward in her approach but that doesn't make it a bad one, just a different one. She did save the world after all.**

* * *

24 Passions in the Night

The arrival of the two presumed dead people didn't make the Adventurer's Guild any calmer as they were swarmed by the adventurers within. The Guild members left whatever they were doing and ran up to the pair who were now located in the Guild Hall.

There was also a swarm of questions, exclamations, and cheer as they surrounded the two, some even trying to grasp them by hand or shoulder.

"Hey, guys! Lighten up a little!" Female Martial Artist said as her friends began asking her questions. "If you continue I just might end up dead."

"Crom, you people! Have some dignity! You're acting like worried housewives!" Conan exclaimed at the adventurers who were surrounding him. But as much as he paid attention to them, his gaze tracked someone else within the crowd. It wasn't long before his blue eyes spotted a certain group. Conan's face was adorned with a smile before he began moving some of the companions to the side with his mighty arms. "Move out of the way! I'll answer your questions later. Come on, move!"

Conan soon got out of the crowd of adventurers while Female Martial Artist stayed being surrounded by her friends. Conan looked at the lizardman, dwarf, elf, amazon, knight, spearman, and lastly, the young man he has gotten quite close to.

Goblin Slayer stared at the towering man with wide eyes. He blinked a couple of times, still not really believing what he was seeing. He was certain the man bronze-skinned man in front of him should be dead.

Conan just smirked at him. "So, boy, have you killed any goblins for me?" Conan teasingly asked as he was familiar with Goblin Slayer's habits.

The white-haired young man just walked closer, separating himself from the group who decided to leave him some space. When he was right in front of Conan he looked at his father-figure in his blue eyes with his red ones. Goblin Slayer's eyes then began to water before, much to everyone's surprise, he wrapped his arms around the barbarian in a hug, making Conan's eyes go wide at the unexpected action.

Tears began rolling down Goblin Slayer's eyes. "You're alive," he muttered while Conan still looked shocked. The Cimmerian honestly wasn't sure how to respond and a few moments Goblin Slayer just hugged him. Conan's arms soon found themselves also wrapped around the young man as he returned the hug.

"I'm… uh… not sure how I feel about this," Spearman said as he watched the two hug before getting a smack on the back of the head, courtesy of High Elf Archer.

"Hush! Don't ruin the moment!" the elf whispered harshly as the man just rubbed the back of his head.

After a while, Conan pushed Goblin Slayer back slightly. "Alright, that's enough. People will think I'm starting to go soft," Conan said causing Goblin Slayer to laugh at that. The barbarian really was back.

Conan could hear a clearing of throat next to him and turned to see Amazon Warrior standing there with her arms crossed.

Conan then gave her a smile. "I take it, you missed me."

She then began to smile as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Why, yes I did," she said before pulling back her hand and punching Conan straight in the gut. Conan doubled over from the sudden pain, and his eyes from surprise as a heavy grunt escaped his lips. "That was for the stunt you pulled back there, you bastard."

Conan gave a few groans as his hands were nursing the place the Amazon punched. "At least this greeting is different," he muttered through his gritted teeth. Amazon Warrior then grabbed him by the hem of his shirt and suddenly pulled him up. Conan was once again caught off guard but even more so when she slammed her lips on his own. The kiss was rough and strong but still full of passion, and it was over before Conan could properly respond.

"Now that one was because I really missed that mouth of yours," Amazon Warrior said as she let go of Conan's shirt.

Conan gave a slight scoff. "Women, something I'll never truly understand," he said under his breath before turning towards the rest of the group. "Well, I'm certain you'd like to know what happened."

"You bet we do, Cimmerian," Dwarf Shaman said. "And I'm sure you'd like to know what happened when you were gone."

Conan gave him a nod. "Now, that I am."

And once they took a seat, they proceeded to tell each other what happened. Conan told the members of the Guild how he survived the fight and was taken to the dungeon, waiting until the time was right for him to escape, tricking the guards he was becoming harmless before dealing them a big surprise. And he also told them how he and Female Martial Artist had to go through the wilderness until they got to a village where they were provided with horses, clothes, weapons, and food.

The people of the Adventurer's Guild were amazed to hear the story and congratulated Conan on his survival. Dwarf Shaman ordered him a drink as he knew how Conan loved his alcohol and the man was clearly thirsty for some.

When Conan was provided with his drink, they began to tell him about their own situation as well. They told him how they were preparing to fight in the inevitable war that was about to strike the land, told him of how the Hero tried to take on Khotan, but was lead into a trap and how the King had no choice but to start mobilizing his armies.

Conan took a swig of his ale as the story was finished. "Well, better late than never. Though I'm honestly not surprised those nobles acted how they did. But that doesn't mean I think it's justified," Conan said before finishing off his drink and wiping his lips. "But there is yet another thing. The battle you are preparing for may come sooner than you think."

Spearman raised an eyebrow at that. "And what do you mean by that?"

"When Khotan gloated at me while keeping me imprisoned he also mentioned that he was about to send his armies within the next couple of weeks. Considering that was over two weeks ago I estimate that we have about a week at most before his armies go into battle."

Everyone looked shocked at what he said. They knew that there would be a war to be fought but this honestly seemed to close for comfort.

"Wait! So soon?!" Female Knight asked getting a nod from Conan. "Oh, that is not good. The King won't be able to mobilize his army quickly enough in that time. We need to inform him and quickly."

"There is another thing we need to get done," Conan said as he rose from his chair. "I'll need to go and see this King myself. I need to tell him something personally."

"The King himself?" Spearman asked rhetorically. "Man, I don't think you can do that normally, much less during the time of war."

"Well I'll have to do that anyway," Conan said. "Does anyone know how I can get a direct audience with the King? And quickly?"

"You're asking for impossible," Female Knight said. "Spearman is right. It would hard for you to meet the King on normal terms, much less now."

"There is a way," Goblin Slayer said, getting everyone's attention. "I know someone who should be pretty close to the King. Luckily she is currently teaching Priestess in Water Town and I'm sure I could ask a favor of her."

"Then we must go to the person quickly," Conan said. "If you know where she is, then lead me. We shouldn't waste too much time."

Goblin Slayer gave him a nod in agreement. "Alright, follow me."

Conan, Goblin Slayer, Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest, and High Elf Archer didn't waste any time before finding a ride. The group was decided due to their previous dealings with Sword Maiden and Conan being the one who needed to speak to the King.

They got themselves some horses and quickly rode off towards Water Town, not using a regular carriage since they would be too slow. Conan also got himself a new set of chainmail armor and took his broadsword and axe, which Goblin Slayer took in honor of Conan's memory.

It took them a while but they found themselves at Water Town. The town was located in the middle of a large lake, connected to land by several bridges. It was of decent size and all of the buildings were made from white stone.

The group quickly found themselves walking through the city streets after they left their horses in the stables. They walked at a slightly faster pace than normal, heading towards the Temple of Law where the Sword Maiden was located.

Conan didn't really bother to look at the sights around him, only following the group so he could finally meet this Sword Maiden and get in contact with the King. The town was indeed beautiful but he needed focus on more important matters.

They finally arrived at the Temple and entered through the large double doors in front of it. After walking a while through the hallway they found a female priest walking by.

"Excuse me," Lizard Priest said getting her attention. "We are adventurers and in need of help from the Sword Maiden. Can you by any chance tell us where she is?"

"Oh, she is in one of the gardens," the priestess said before pointing at another hallway. "Just go through there, and then turn left when you reach the end and stop at the second door."

Lizard Priest bowed his head. "Your help is most appreciated."

Now, following the directions given to them, they entered that garden, which was a grassy field decorated with a fountain, several stone benches. They noticed the Priestess and Sword Maiden sitting in a clear space.

In front of Priestess was a large vase with many dying flowers on which she used her healing magic, indicated by her staff glowing green. The flowers immediately rose up and their petals gaining their color back.

"Good work," Sword Maiden complimented. "That was even faster than before."

Priestess smiled and blushed. "That was nothing special, I just-" she interrupted herself as her eyes laid on the group that just arrived. Her face began beaming as she saw them. "Hey, you're here!" Though, her exclamations were stopped as she only now noticed that someone else was with them. She saw Conan was also with them, a man she thought was dead.

Seeing the shocked look on the girl's face, Sword Maiden turned to see who was there. She smiled before rising up and gesturing to her student to do the same.

"It's good to see you all again. It's been quite a while," she told the group as they approached them. Her eyes also landed on Conan. "And I see you've brought someone else."

In a gesture surprising to Sword Maiden, Goblin Slayer took off his helmet and held it in his hands. "Yes, he is one of the reasons we are here. You see, we…" Goblin Slayer would have continued but only now he noticed something different about the Sword Maiden. She didn't wear her blindfold, which wasn't the unusual thing since he did see her without it but her eyes looked different. Before they showed the signs of blindness she suffered but there were none there now.

Sword Maiden, seeing the young man's reaction chuckled slightly. Priestess also had a similar reaction when she saw here as well. "What's the matter, Goblin Slayer? Cat got your tongue?"

The others also noticed what Goblin Slayer saw and they looked shocked as well.

"Um, have your eyes healed?" High Elf Archer asked.

"Why, yes they have," Sword Maiden said before putting a hand on her chest. "The gods have been kind to me."

"Now that's some great news to hear," Dwarf Shaman said as he gave a smile.

"Indeed," Lizard Priest said.

"By Crom, what is this prattling about?" Conan asked in his usual gruff voice. "We are here on important business. Whatever you're talking about can come later."

High Elf Archer narrowed her eyes at him. "Way to ruin the moment," she said. "And why do I have a sudden feeling of Déjà vu?" she added under her breath.

"And what is this business you need?" Sword Maiden asked as she looked at Conan.

Conan just gestured to Goblin Slayer to continue. "Our friend here," Goblin Slayer said he pointed towards the large barbarian, "needs an audience with the King. He has something important to tell him."

Sword Maiden got a serious expression on her face. "And what news would that be?" she asked, wanting to know just what was so important that it was needed to be said directly to the King.

They then proceeded to explain to her about the situation of Thugra Khotan planning an attack in the very near future. Sword Maiden looked shocked when they finished. "That… is quite dire indeed," she said. "But why would you need to speak to him directly? I could just relay him the message about this."

"It's not just about the message," Conan explained. "There is something else I want to discuss with him. And for that, I need him to be here in person."

"That is quite a request you have there. May I at least know the name of the man who is making it?"

"I am Conan. Conan of Cimmeria."

The moment those words left his mouth Sword Maiden's eyes widened. She recognized the name as the one given to her by Mitra when she asked who his champion was. And this man in front of her was the same one? She then realized what Mitra meant when he said that Conan will need his help, this was a clear sign of that.

But the Sword Maiden also recalled what he said about Conan's view towards other gods, so she couldn't just agree to it based on that. She then turned to Goblin Slayer. "Do you vouch for him?"

Goblin Slayer nodded. "With all my life."

Sword Maiden smiled at that. "Then that is all the convincing I need," she said before turning back to Conan. "I will go to contact the King and ask for an audience. He should be here within a day after the call."

Conan actually blinked at that. That went far easier than he thought it would. The woman immediately agreed to his request after asking Goblin Slayer if he was trustworthy. Just how close was she to Goblin Slayer for that to be possible?

Then he came to a realization. After seeing how so many women reacted to Goblin Slayer it was more or less obvious to him what was happening. So she was one of the women interested in him as well? Conan was honestly surprised Goblin Slayer didn't have a bunch of brats running around already with all that he has seen.

The Sword Maiden then walked away to give the King a message. She told the group that she won't be gone for too and they could wait in the garden for her, which they did

"So," said Goblin Slayer as he sat on a stone bench next to Priestess with his helmet put next to him. "How is your training going?"

"Very well, actually," she said with a smile. "I can use more spells in a day and their potency has increased as well. Sword Maiden said I could be a great asset at a battlefield."

"Good to hear," Goblin Slayer said before putting an arm around her shoulder. "But try not to be too close to the battlefield. You don't need to get hurt unnecessarily."

Priestess chuckled at his concern. "I'll try."

Conan was having a talk with the rest of the group who decided to leave the two alone to talk. He was currently taking a drink from an extra flask that Dwarf Shaman was carrying with him. He may not know too much about dwarves but he sure knew they made good drinks.

"…and after that, Beard Cutter was critically injured but recovered with the help of Priestess and Sword Maiden who performed the Resurrection spell on him," Dwarf Shaman finished before taking a drink from his own flask.

"Hmm, some tale that is," Conan commented. "I wish you've given me those details before and not in the middle of wartime."

"Sorry about that," High Elf Archer said. "I guess we never got around it."

"I suppose that's true," Conan said before once again taking a drink. "So, what happened next?"

"Ah, now that's the interesting part," Dwarf Shaman said. "You see, after the spell, we-" He then noticed that Sword Maiden was once again located in the garden. "Ah, well, our time is up it seems."

Conan returned the flask to Dwarf Shaman before walking up to the female archbishop along with Goblin Slayer and the rest.

"You took quite a while to write a simple message," Conan commented with his arms crossed.

"Oh, I didn't use a message. I contacted him directly using magic and we spoke," Sword Maiden explained. "And the King agreed for a meeting, here at the Temple of Law. You can expect him here within a day's time."

Conan raised an eyebrow at that. "Magic can do that?"

Sword Maiden nodded. "Why, of course."

Once again, Conan was baffled by what these people did with magic. They seemed to use magic for more general uses, such as healing and communication, unlike from his continent where it was mostly used to kill someone.

"Well, until he comes, I offer you all to stay within this temple. We have guest rooms you can use and you explore the temple whenever you wish," Sword Maiden offered. "I'll escort you there personally."

"Well, we might as well," High Elf Archer said causing the others to agree.

The Sword Maiden then led them to the section of the temple where the guest rooms were located. Each one of them got their own room and they went inside to settle in.

When Goblin Slayer went inside his own room he was stopped by a hand on a shoulder. He looked back to see it was Conan.

"That woman. Go to her," Conan said while pointing at a direction Sword Maiden had gone to. "I know you two have something to discuss."

"I see," Goblin Slayer said. "So you figured it out." Goblin Slayer then shook his head before putting a hand on his face. "What am I saying; of course you would figure it out."

Conan chuckled. "Come on, boy. No dillydallying. Go to her."

Goblin Slayer sighed, but he followed Conan's advice. It didn't fail him before and it wouldn't fail him now. So put the helmet on the table and left his room. He walked down the hallway for a few moments before he saw Sword Maiden there. She then turned in his direction with a surprised look on her face before she smiled.

"Is there something else you needed?" Sword Maiden asked.

Goblin Slayer stopped in front of her. "No, I just thought that we should talk."

"Talk?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "About what?"

"How about we get out for a moment on some fresh air? I think there would be better," Goblin Slayer said causing the woman to look even more confused.

"Alright then," she agreed. "Come with me."

After a few moments, they found themselves outside, in a garden where they sat on a bench near a fountain, overlooking the now setting Sun.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked.

"Well, first, how exactly did you get your eyes back? I thought the damage was permanent," Goblin Slayer asked.

Sword Maiden just looked down. "Well, it honestly would have been. But I didn't lie when I said that the gods have been kind to me. One of them actually restored my eyes."

Goblin Slayer was actually shocked to hear that. He hasn't heard of anything like that happening before. "You mean, one of them came to you and brought you your eyes back."

"Yes, he has," she answered. "Whether he was just kind, or had a greater purpose in mind, I honestly can't complain." She then once again turned to look at him with her blue eyes. "I can finally see just how handsome you are."

Goblin Slayer stood silent for a moment. So a god came down himself and healed her blindness. While not impossible since gods have sometimes came into play in the past, it definitely wasn't a usual occurrence. But Goblin Slayer supposed that with the situation as dire as it was even gods tend to notice it.

Instead of discussing further, he proceeded to the next topic. "Alright then, there is another thing that I need to talk to you about."

"I'm listening."

"Do you remember, the last time I was here when I said that I couldn't understand how you felt about me?"

Sword Maiden began to look a bit down when he said that, not sure where he was going with this. "Yes, I remember."

"Well, I do now," he said causing her to blink in surprise.

"What do you mean?" she asked not believing her ears.

"I said I understand. I understand how you feel about me," he said as he got closer to her and put his hand on her own. "It took me a while but I understand."

Sword Maiden just stood there with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth, shocked at what Goblin Slayer was saying and doing. "You… you've changed."

"I have," he said. "Conan actually helped me in that regard. He helped me understand," Goblin Slayer explained before looking to the side. "I'm sorry about that. It turns out I was the blind one in that situation."

Sword Maiden still looked shocked for a few moments before her expression relaxed and her lips formed into a smile. She then put her other hand on his cheek before turning his face to look at her. "It doesn't matter. I'm happy that you understand," she said. "But tell me, how do you feel about it?"

Goblin Slayer also returned her smile. "After some time thinking, I can safely say that I feel the same," he answered causing Sword Maiden to gain an expression that was a combination of surprise and joy. "You know, your eyes really look beautiful."

"I… thank you," she said with happiness evident on her face.

They didn't say anything after that. They simply gazed at each other for a moment, azure and crimson eyes seemingly connected with the longing present within them. Goblin Slayer slowly leaned down to which Sword Maiden raised her head a bit with her lips slightly pursed. Slowly but surely, their lips connected.

They immediately embraced after that, and let out their passions in that kiss. To Goblin Slayer it was like another worry was taken off his chest and turned into passion within that kiss, while Sword Maiden was in a state of euphoria, finally being able to show her feelings towards the man who promised to protect her, even in her dreams.

Their lips danced around each other for several minutes before Goblin Slayer actually took the initiative and began using his tongue, something he was quite experienced with by now. She was surprised at first but recovered quickly. Soon their tongues danced around each other in their passionate kiss in front of the setting Sun.

Conan was now in his room, which was well-furnished with a good quality bed, a closet, a table, and chairs. He looked outside and saw that the Sun almost set. He thought about what the next day would bring. He was going to meet the King who he hoped would be reasonable enough to hear him out.

There was a war brewing on the horizon and he was planning on winning it. He was able to do it before and he was going to do it again. And he would make sure to kill Khotan permanently this time.

He took off his armor and was just about ready to go to sleep to get some proper rest for tomorrow but then he heard someone knocking on his door.

He approached the door and turned the handle, thinking it was probably one of his teammates wanting to ask him something, but when he opened the door he was shocked to see that it was Witch who was standing there, with tears running down her cheeks.

"What are you-?" He was interrupted as she suddenly jumped at him, her hat falling on the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and quickly locked lips with him. He once again shocked at the sudden action but quickly wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss.

They stood like that for a while, with Witch hanging off Conan and him holding her while they kissed. Conan honestly missed the feeling of her soft lips on his own, it was something not even the princesses he ha been with felt like, suppleness and passion that hardly anyone matched.

After a few more moments they stopped and Conan put her down, once again seeing her crying expression. "What are you doing here?"

"I… came as soon as I heard," Witch said. "When Amazon Warrior told me you came back… alive at that… I asked where you were. When she told me you were in Water Town… I immediately rode off to… here." A few more tears escaped her eyes. "Why didn't you… come to see me? Do you know how… much I missed you?"

Conan just looked at her and sighed, a crying woman was something he didn't really want to deal with. "I needed to do something important, and quickly at that," he explained but saw that she didn't seem satisfied with his answer. He sighed once again. "I'm… sorry I didn't come to see you."

Witch then went to embrace him as she let out a few more sniffles. "Please, just… let me be with you… for the night," she said to which Conan just embraced her before leading her into his room and closing the door.

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of that. No action in this chapter but the plot at least moved forward. Hope you ended up enjoying it!**

**See you next time!**


	26. 25 The Next Step

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: And after over a MONTH of waiting, I present you with the next chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. Sorry it took so long but as I said in my other story there were a lot of things going on in my life. But I found some time to write and got this chapter out. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Now to reviews.**

**Zealot24: Well, I can see that you enjoyed the last chapter. Nice to see I'm doing something right.**

**Dracus6: Sorry to disappoint you, but no.**

**Guest: Sorry, but I said before that I'm not doing lemons in this story. Those will happen offscreen.**

**Guest(2): I understand. And of course, she doesn't fit, she is the more archetypal hero of a fantasy story while Goblin Slayer is definitely more of a grounded character so that's definitely by design.**

**Nice to see you enjoyed it.**

**And no, that isn't any type of euphemism.**

**Guest(3): Glad to hear it.**

**Evowizard25: Well, that scenario is now very much possible.**

**Nice to see you enjoyed those parts.**

**And I'm also curious about what you think of my other story. I really want to hear some proper feedback since I'm honestly not really getting any recently. Plus I'm just interested in what you think.**

**Guest(4): Thanks!**

**Guest(5): Well it isn't really NTR since Spearman and Witch aren't together.**

**Dragonslayer 92: I'm very glad. No, I haven't read Savage Avengers yet, but I did all the comics of Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan that Marvel put out. And I honestly don't think that I should add her. It would honestly feel a bit contrived.**

* * *

25 The Next Step

The rays of the morning sun peered through the window, hitting a massive frame laid upon a bed. A few of those rays hit the face belonging to that frame. The face twitched for a moment before their eyelids began to open, revealing the bright blue eyes of Conan the Cimmerian.

Conan gave a slight groan before rubbing his eyes to make the slight itchiness go away. His memories of last night came back before he looked down and saw Witch lying next to him and clinging unto his muscular frame, both their naked bodies covered with white bedsheets.

Conan also looks down and saw clothes scattered across the floor. When Witch came to him last night she didn't waste any time before she made a move on him and tore away his clothes at surprising quickness. He was surprised by her roughness at first, she almost matched Amazon Warrior in that regard. He could tell she poured out a lot of her feelings in their latest session, but the current soft expression on her face was an indication she calmed down.

He used his other arm to pull her closer, causing the purple-haired woman to stir before her own eyes opened. She looked up at him, seemingly unsure at first but a smile graced her face.

"So it… wasn't a dream?" she asked.

Conan just smiled at her. "No, it definitely wasn't," he said. "And I'm glad. If it was then that wonderful thing last night wouldn't have happened?"

Witch then gained a small pout on her face before slightly slapping his shoulder. "Oh, hush… you. Is that all… you care about?"

Conan chuckled at that. "Come on, woman. You know me better than that."

Witch regained her smile. "Yes, that I… do," she said before hugging Conan tightly. "By the gods… I'm so happy that… you're alive."

Conan also returned the hug before his face got serious. "Believe me, I'm not going anywhere this time. And I'll make sure Khotan suffers for what he did, to me, to you, to our comrades. I'll make sure to personally deal the final blow."

"I know you will," she said before once again looking up at him. "Say, we… have some time," she said before once again smiling. "Why don't we… stay a little… longer?"

Conan gave her a grin. "We may as well," he said before their lips connected.

* * *

In another part of the temple, in a room where Sword Maiden usually resided in, a similar situation was occurring.

Goblin Slayer woke up a few minutes after sunrise within a room that was a lot more spacious than the guest room he was given by the Sword Maiden. He smiled as he remembered why exactly that happened.

Last night, after they ended the kiss she looked incredibly happy, more than he had ever seen her. After that, she invited him to her own room within the temple, to which he agreed. And soon after, they found themselves making love on her bed.

Goblin Slayer looked at Sword Maiden who was sleeping next to him with a more than satisfied smile on her face. The white-haired young man also felt happy at the situation, especially after seeing his new lover looking so happy even in her sleep.

He was about to go back to sleep so he didn't wake her up, but then suddenly jolted at the knock on the door.

"Lady Sword Maiden, you should wake up," a woman's voice said from the other side of the door. "You have your duties as an archbishop, so please wake up."

The female archbishop stirred for a moment but went back to sleep soon after. Goblin Slayer sighed, grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her slightly. "You have to wake up. They're calling for you."

The woman steered once again before letting out a dissatisfied moan and opening her eyes. "Come on, just a little while longer," she said as she tried to grab Goblin Slayer and put him back in a laying position.

Goblin Slayer grabbed her arm and stopped her efforts. "It's not a good thing to ignore your duties," he said. "And we're also meeting the King today. We should be prepared for that."

Sword Maiden gave a deep sigh. "Alright, alright," she murmured before slowly rising up, stretching and letting out a deep yawn, all the while giving Goblin Slayer quite a good view of her figure. "We should get dressed," she said while rubbing her eyes.

"Right," Goblin Slayer said before both of them got up from the bed and began dressing.

Goblin Slayer was about to exit when his gloved hand was caught by Sword Maiden's. He turned to look at the smiling blonde woman. "Thank you for last night," she said. "I've never felt such happiness in my life."

Goblin Slayer smiled before leaning down and kissing her briefly on the lips. "I'm happy to hear that."

The smile couldn't leave Sword Maiden's face as she saw the new demeanor of Goblin Slayer, her mind going back to the time she talked with Mitra. The foreign god told her that Goblin Slayer has indeed changed, and her mind immediately began worrying about something bad, perhaps he snapped and turned insane, but she was glad to be proven wrong.

To see him now so open, emotional and more caring than before, it warmed her heart. She knew the world can be a cruel, but simultaneously the most wonderful place.

"We better go," she said. "The King should arrive sometime in the afternoon. I better take care of my duties before then."

Goblin Slayer gave her a nod. "Right."

And with that, the two of them left.

* * *

The rest of the group also woke up and got out of their rooms. Lizard Priest, Priestess, Dwarf Shaman, and High Elf Archer were standing in the hallway and waiting for the rest.

Dwarf Shaman gave a stretch and a yawn. "Scaly, Long Ears, I don't know about you but I had a great night of sleep. These beds they have here are really comfortable."

Lizard Priest gave a nod. "I have to agree with you," he said before looking at the Archer, who was leaning on a wall with her arms crossed. "Don't you think so as well?"

High Elf Archer blinked before turning her attention towards her companion, as if only now noticing he was there. "Oh, yeah. They're great," she said unenthusiastically.

Dwarf Shaman tilted his head in confusion. Why did she seem in a so sour mood? "Is there something wrong, Long Ears?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, it's nothing," she said before looking to her side to see Conan and Witch getting out of Conan's room. "Nothing at all." High Elf Archer gave the two a slight glare. She had the unfortunate luck of having her room be located right next to Conan's. She really regretted having sensitive ears last night.

"Ah, lady Witch," Lizard Priest exclaimed as he greeted the late arrival. "How nice to see you here. But if I may ask, when did you come here? We didn't expect you."

"Well, when I heard… that Conan was back… I just couldn't… help myself," Witch explained before looking up at Conan who just gave her a grin.

"Yeah, I bet," High Elf Archer muttered under her breath. Seriously, did that woman have to scream so loud last night?

Dwarf Shaman then looked around. "Say, where is Beard Cutter? Knowing him he should have been up the earliest."

"Well, if I had to guess," said Conan with a knowing smile on his face. "I think that Sword Maiden is keeping him occupied."

"He really is picking up your habits," High Elf Archer commented.

Conan then looked at her unamused. "If my memory serves me correctly, weren't my 'habits' one of the reasons he is even with you?" he asked. The elf looked like she was about to retort but she thought about it for a moment and kept her mouth shut. "I thought as much."

"So, what now?" Goblin Slayer asked. "We just wait until the King arrives? He won't arrive until about the afternoon."

"Well, I'm going to find some bar in this city," Conan answered. "Temples aren't really places I like to be around."

Witch then grabbed his arm. "Not without me… you're not. We still have… some catching up… to do."

"Alright. Come along." The two then departed.

"I think I'm going to check out the rest of the temple. This place is really fascinating," Lizard Priest said. Unlike before he now had the time since he wasn't focused on doing a mission.

"I think I'm going for a walk through the town," Goblin Slayer said before looking at High Elf Archer and Priestess. "Would you two care to join me?"

High Elf Archer grinned. "Well, since you're offering."

"I would like that very much," Priestess said with a smile.

"Well, I'm going to check a special dwarven alcohol shop I saw earlier," Dwarf Shaman said. "I hope it's a real thing. Nothing beats our alcohol."

The sole elf of the group gave a slight scoff. "Typical dwarf, always worried about alcohol."

"I hardly see the negatives, Long Ears."

* * *

It wasn't too long until afternoon came by and the group gathered together back at the Temple of Law. Sword Maiden told them that she and the King will meet in one of the gardens and led towards it.

So now they waited, Goblin Slayer, Sword Maiden, Priestess, Witch and Dwarf Shaman sitting on stone benches while High Elf Archer, Lizard Priest, and Conan stood.

Unlike everyone else, Conan looked annoyed. His arms were crossed and his index finger twitching. After a while, he gritted his teeth and grumbled in frustration. "When is that accursed King coming? You'd think at least he would be the one to take this situation seriously enough."

"Perhaps he just got held up," Goblin Slayer suggested with a shrug.

Conan just gave a scoff at that. "Nobles and things that hold them," he muttered out loud. "From my experience, that could be either outright ignoring the message or just getting drunk."

"I assure you, the King isn't like that," Sword Maiden said. "I've known him a good while, and he is a very good person. He would never take this situation for granted."

"Come on, Conan," Witch said before taking an inhale of smoke from her pipe. "There is no reason… to be so negative… all the time. I thought we… went over this… before."

"We are currently under a threat an army that is commanded by a lunatic wizard and a servant of Set," Conan ranted. "So you will have to excuse me if I don't feel all that cheerful right now."

"I implore you, wait just a little longer," Sword Maiden said. "He will definitely come soon."

Conan was silent for a moment, looking at the woman that had an assured look on her face before giving her a nod. He could be patient for a little longer.

Goblin Slayer then noticed something with Priestess. Her fingers couldn't stop fidgeting and she had a nervous look on her face. "Is there something wrong?" he asked wondering what could be bothering right now.

"Ah, well," she stuttered for a moment. "It's just that… we are about to meet the King. That seems like a very important occasion. I'm… not sure I'm ready for it."

Sword Maiden looked at the nervous girl and chuckled. "You don't have to worry about a thing. He's a very kind man and a good person to be around," she assured her young pupil.

"I'll try," Priestess said with less nervousness in her voice.

"Well you better try now, because I think he's here," High Elf Archer said as her ears twitched, hearing some movement which was getting louder.

That got everyone's attention as they looked at the entrance of the garden, eagerly waiting to see if it really was the King, though Sword Maiden had a knowing smile on her face.

There was a silence in the garden which made them hear the echo of the footsteps that approached. At the entrance came a figure of slightly above average height with short blond hair dressed in a militaristic style uniform, black boots, white gloves, and a long white cape. The man looked at the group, his hands held behind his back and a serious expression on his face.

Sword Maiden stood up and approached the man with a smile on her face. "So you've finally come."

"I have," the man answered. "You said that there was something of great importance and that I've had to come in person. So what is it?"

Conan raised an eyebrow. That young man was the King? He seemed to be around the same age as Sword Maiden, which was still pretty young for a king. Though Conan saw even younger people holding the title so he assumed that something happened which made him king early in his life so he didn't dwell on that for too long. But he still wondered what the man was doing here without any guards. Was he really that confident in his safety in this town?

The rest of the group didn't look at the King in surprise as Conan did but still looked in some awe as they actually got to see the King in person.

Conan then approached the two friends. "She asked you to come due to my request," Conan said getting the attention of the King, Sword Maiden walking backward so the two had some talking space.

High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest and Priestess were shocked; Priestess even more so, with the ease of which Conan just walked up to the King as if it was nothing special.

The King then noticed the silver tag Conan wore around his neck, getting somewhat nostalgic of his own days as an adventurer before once again paying attention to the man himself. "I see you're an adventurer. And a pretty high-ranking one at that," King said to Conan as he crossed his arms. "Though I still have to ask, why exactly did you summon me here when we're on the brink of war?"

"I know about your war against Thugra Khotan and that is exactly why I called for you," Conan explained in a serious tone. "I was of the adventurers who led a failed attack on Khotan's secret lair. I was captured by him and learned some important information."

Conan then proceeded to explain what he had learned, on how Thugra Khotan in his arrogance told him that in only a few short weeks he planned to lead an attack against the King and considering that was some time ago they only had a short while before the attack actually starts.

"I see," King said, expertly hiding any surprised a normal person might have displayed in this situation. He then turned to Sword Maiden. "Is what this man saying true?"

Sword Maiden nodded. "I've had enough confirmation to know he speaks the truth."

The King then looked down and rubbed his chin in thought. "If that's the case, then the situation got more complicated. Our own troops are just about ready but I still need confirmation of other kingdoms to see if their own troops will be ready," he said before once again looking up at Conan. "But why did I have to come in person for you to tell me that? My friend here could have just as easily told me that through message spells."

"There is one request that I have, one for which I thought would be the best for you to hear yourself," Conan said actually gaining the attention of the rest of the group since they weren't informed of that. "I request that you make me one of the generals of your army."

If people in that garden weren't surprised before, now they definitely were. Everyone was staring at Conan with wide eyes after he said that. They couldn't believe that Conan just walked up to the King and then requested such a high position in the army.

"Did I hear him right?" High Elf Archer asked while rubbing her ear.

"Did you hear him ask to become a general?" Dwarf Shaman asked her.

"So my ears are still working right," High Elf Archer said. "Dear gods, what is he thinking?"

"We'll see," Goblin Slayer said, getting over his shock quicker than others. He knew Conan enough to know that the man was serious so he waited to see how this played out.

The King also stared at Conan in shock before responding. "Excuse me; do you have any idea what you're asking?"

"I'm more than aware," Conan answered. "And I'm not asking without reason. I've led an army against Khotan's before, even more armies before and after so I'm more than experienced."

The King's eyes slightly narrowed at that. "Even if what you say is true, why on Earth would I trust a complete stranger to lead my own forces? I'm sorry, but I can't just accept this request."

Conan's own eyes narrowed. "I'm not asking for a permanent position, just a temporary one, for this battle only. Trust me when I say that you need me. I'm familiar with Khotan's tactics, something which I'm sure neither you nor anyone else in your command has."

The King's eyes narrowed further. "You're still asking way too much. Sword Maiden's approval can only get you so far. I'm thankful for the information you've given me but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to risk you leading my army. And I've led my forces against enemies I wasn't familiar with so your proposition isn't necessary."

Conan almost glared at the King by this point. "You nobles and your stupid stubbornness," he said in a harsh voice that caught the King off guard. "Like it or not, my aid is necessary for this battle. Knowing your enemy is the key to victory, and I have that knowledge. And I'm certain that I've been in more battles than you have, _boy_."

Everyone was now even further shocked at the outright hostile tone Conan spoke with to the King. Was he out of his mind?

Conan and the King were now glaring at each other. "You should really learn some respect. I doubt that you've ever been a king so you have no idea what responsibilities hang on my shoulders," the King said.

"Oh, I know enough. You people always go for the complicated route instead of a simple solution in front of you," Conan said.

"What the hell is he doing?" High Elf Archer harshly whispered. Was Conan really mad to talk to the King like that?

Dwarf Shaman took a swig of his drink. "That man will sign his own death sentence if this continues."

Goblin Slayer and Witch looked especially worried when they saw the way this conversation was going. If this continued then who knows what situation Conan may end up in.

Sword Maiden, who was standing nearest to the two, watched them begin bickering. She wasn't sure how to respond since she didn't expect the situation to escalate to this. Right now, she thought the most logical way to approach this is to have Conan step down with his argument.

Then her mind went back to the night she met Mitra.

_Sword Maiden looked even more stunned than before. "M-me? You chose me?" she asked, incredibly flattered that a god would specifically ask for her. "But… why me, Lord Mitra?"_

_"__Because you are a woman of great spirit and heart, and as a priestess of another deity this wouldn't scare you as much as others," Mitra explained. "And you have the capability of assisting Conan in his fight against Khotan."_

_"__And, how exactly can I help him?" _

_Mitra sighed at that. "Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you. I cannot reveal the details, as that would be me helping you too much. All I can say is that you are the one who can help him in some way."_

She thought about those words and what they meant. She assumed that it was for the situation where she had to contact the King for Conan, but now she thinks that maybe that isn't it. Maybe there was more to it.

Once the situation became clear, she knew what she had to do. This was the time where she is the only one who could help.

"Grant his request," Sword Maiden said, getting surprised looks from both of them.

"What did you say?" the King asked curiously.

"Grant him his request; make him a temporary general for your army."

By now, even Conan wasn't sure about why she was siding with him. Even she didn't seem that trusting.

"Can you even hear yourself speak?" King asked. "Why are you saying that?"

"Let's talk in private. Just the two of us," she said in a serious tone before going towards the garden entrance. The King looked at her for a moment before following, leaving everyone confused.

Sword Maiden and the King found themselves in a hallway of the temple before they stopped walking.

"Alright, now tell me," the King said while crossing his arms. "Why should I grant that man's request?"

"Because it is his destiny," she answered making him look at her in a combination of shock and confusion. "It is the will of the gods for him to help you defeat Thugra Khotan."

"Are… are you sure about what you're saying?"

"Yes, I am. I am an archbishop of the Supreme God. I know what needs to be done," she said before her features softened. "Please, trust me on this. Like you trusted me before. I would never lead you astray."

The King then looked at her for a minute, weighing his options in his head. It was true, he had trusted her and she never let him down before, but also the king part of him still had his doubts.

After a minute of thinking, he just gave a sigh.

* * *

Back at the garden, Conan rejoined the rest of the group after Sword Maiden and the King departed.

"I must admit that was a ballsy although very foolish thing to do, even for you, Conan. Talking to the King like that," Dwarf Shaman said before taking a drink. "I doubt I would even do something like that while drunk on the best dwarven alcohol."

"I said what needed to be said. My experience of dealing with Khotan would be invaluable for this battle. It's his own fault for not accepting."

"You really know… how to make… a girl worry," Witch said as she still looks somewhat worriedly at Conan.

"If you knew what risks I've taken before I doubt you'd ever let me speak again," Conan told her.

"Well, you two can speak about those later," High Elf Archer said. "Because those two just came back."

Her words were true as Sword Maiden and the King now approached them. Conan once again walked in front of the king. "Well?"

"I've come to a decision," the King said. "Conan of Cimmeria, I'm giving you the rank of general."

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of that! I hope that it was worth the wait. I really hope you enjoyed.**

**And once again, I highly suggest that you read my other story. Trust me, it's worth your time.**

** See you next time!**


	27. 26 Beginning of the End

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Happy New Year, my readers! I finally got to writing this story and here it is, the new chapter of The Stranded Barbarian. I'm sorry if I made you wait too long, but there is much going on in my life to have a consistent schedule. I hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Guest: I understand what you're saying and yes, normally that would be the case but Conan was in a similar situation before in the Black Colossus story where he was made a general and he didn't seem to be all that hindered in commanding foreign troops so this isn't new territory for him. Not to mention Sword Maiden is the reason he ended up caving.**

**Dracus6: We'll see about the second one.**

**Guest(2): Not sure if I made him more reasonable. I just write him the way I think he would act based on what I read.**

**banditobane: I'm very glad that this story pleases you so much. I hoped that I would get Conan and the interactions right. And you're mostly right about what will happen in the end. And sorry, but there will be no discussion about The Riddle of Steel since that has nothing to do with the original Conan stories.**

**Kian Xki: Yes, I get your arguments but they are all addressed in the story. Sure, many failed tp dissuade GS from his goblin obsession but Conan is the one that made the discussion hit on a personal level and he is more forceful than the others, which is a tactic I think would be most effective.**

**And how exactly is Conan being OP meaning that it is a self-insert? And I didn't make Conan any more powerful, I just write him with the strength he showed in books and comics. **

**And besides Spearman's boasting, what is there to prove that he is indeed the strongest? No one seems to think so. And yeah, Heavy Warrior is based on Guts, but that's all. That doesn't mean that he is Guts or that he can do what Guts can. The same way that while Spearman is based on Lancer from Fate he isn't Lancer. And I still don't see them performing any feat that surpasses Conan.**

**And yes, Conan can certainly do that.**

**Zaraki6: As I said before, it isn't NTR since they're not together. Still, glad that you enjoy this.**

* * *

26 Beginning of the End

Conan was currently sitting in a royal carriage that was headed towards the Capital city of the land. In front of him sat the King himself as he impassively stared at Conan before his gaze went to the carriage's window so he could look outside.

The two men didn't speak a word since the journey began, silence filled with only the stomping of hooves belonging to the horses that pulled the carriage and slight creaks and rattles of the wooden carriage when it found itself on an irregular part of the road. Outside the carriage, there were several mounted knights that served as the escort of the king as they rode behind the carriage.

After the King proclaimed that he agreed to have Conan serve as a general came as a shock to the barbarian and his guildmates, making Conan wonder, what has suddenly changed his mind as the King seemed adamant in his previous decision? The King only said that the Sword Maiden convinced him that Conan was good enough for the job, which made Conan even more confused as to why she would vouch for him since he only met her a day earlier. He didn't ask as the King requested that Conan came with him to the carriage so they could ride to the Capital where they would discuss strategy.

The rest said that they would go back to the Adventurer's Guild to inform the others what happened and so they could prepare to fight in the inevitable war, which the King appreciated. They said that they would meet Conan at the Capital.

But after that, the two men just rode in silence. Conan just leaned back on the cushioned seat and was deep in thought, thinking of different scenarios that might happen in the future. While he remembered the battle strategies employed by Thugra Khotan he wasn't sure how big of a part his restored magic play, though he was familiar with his use of explosive seeds.

The King also just sat there and thought of what the future battle was going to be like. Though he honestly brought Conan here hoping they would strike a conversation about it but they haven't said a word yet, which made the King feel somewhat awkward.

His thoughts then lingered on what Sword Maiden said to him, how Conan was chosen by the gods to fight against Khotan and this was the part where he would definitely be crucial. But the King then though, what exactly was Conan's history with this evil wizard? He was awfully curious especially when the large man claimed that he had far more experience in warfare then him.

"If you don't mind me asking," the King began, finally breaking the long silence and gaining Conan's attention. "How exactly are you familiar with Thugra Khotan? Is he some sort of mortal enemy to you?"

Conan 'tsked' at the man's words. "He isn't a mortal enemy. He is just someone I killed, at least I thought I did when princess Yasmela of Khoraja named me a general for her army."

The King raised an eyebrow at that. "Made you a general? For what reason?" he asked, wondering how this man could have been named general in yet another instance.

Conan just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure. Maybe she heard of me or maybe she was desperate. I was only a part of the mercenary group at the time."

The King wasn't sure what to make of that. The fact that royalty made Conan a general out of the blue seemed very unlikely. He thought about it before a thought came to mind. "Tell me, was that princess religious?"

Conan shrugged again. "I honestly have no idea. The subject never came up. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe her reasons had something to do with that."

Conan chuckled. "Yeah, because a religion would have a law where when a certain circumstance comes, you should appoint a barbarian from the north as your general," Conan said before chuckling again slightly. "I honestly doubt that was the reason."

The King wanted to ask more but thought that it would be pointless. Conan seemed to be as ignorant as he was in the matter. But there was one thing he was curious about. "So what happened after you defeated Thugra Khotan?"

"Well, the princess proclaimed her affection for me and I began living at her castle," Conan explained to which the King looked surprised. A princess fell in love with Conan and he lived in her castle?

"If that so then… what are you doing here exactly?" the King asked making Conan raise an eyebrow.

"And just what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean, what are you doing here and adventuring? As you said, a princess fell for you and had you live with her. Shouldn't you be a king by this point?"

Conan once again chuckled. "It wasn't so simple. It was obvious she was infatuated with a man who saved her. However further down the line, I wasn't 'acting' like royalty so she seemed to reconsider. When she met a prince who came talking for an alliance she fell in love with him since he suited her tastes more. After that, I left Khoraja and became a mercenary once again."

"Oh, I see," the King spoke. Though he supposed that was a more realistic outcome. Perhaps he read too many of his mother's romance books. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been hard. You must have been disappointed when you were this close to being king."

"Hah, simply marrying is hardly a worthy cause of being a king. If I ever become king it will be by the work of my two hands," Conan proclaimed with a smile as he clasped his fist.

The King found Conan's proclamation… somewhat admiring. He also sometimes felt that he didn't really deserve to be king simply he was born to a royal family. He missed his days of adventuring but he had duties as a king, a fact which, he had to admit to himself, annoyed him. As much as he longed for the past, he had to focus on the present.

"Though I wonder," Conan said with an amused smile on his face. "I wonder how that prince reacted when he found out that Yasmela wasn't a virgin anymore."

And now the situation became awkward as the King blushed at the man's implications. He figured something like that happened but he really didn't need to be told.

"Um, I right. It… must have been amusing," the King said, not feeling this awkward since his mother teased him about girls when he was younger.

Conan laughed. "Looks like even a king can blush like a suckling."

The King groaned at that. Of all the things he was expecting to deal with, this wasn't what he was expecting.

"If this is too much for you, I can go outside with other riders. I honestly feel a need for more fresh air."

The King shrugged his shoulders, once again donning a serious expression after composing himself. "Suit yourself."

After that Conan asked the rider to stop the carriage and took a ride with other guards, which was a position he was more comfortable in instead of being in the scented carriage. And for the rest of the trip, Conan rode that way to the Capital while the stayed in the carriage.

* * *

Goblin Slayer was currently trying out the new armor that he bought for the upcoming war. He was currently busy fastening a few straps on a gauntlet as he suited up.

After Conan went with the King he came back to Cow Girl's farm, though not before saying goodbye to Sword Maiden and Priestess, deciding that it was time for a much-needed change considering the current circumstances.

His old armor laid at the side of his room at the farm. His old helmet with broken horns, greaves, gauntlets, chest plate, buckler, all discarded and laying there as he donned his new armor. Even his shortsword was put next to them.

Goblin Slayer now finally put the last piece of his armor, the helmet.

His new gear was similar to his old, in a sense that pretty much covered the same parts that his old one did. However, all of his armor parts were now of a much higher quality. Instead of iron, his armor was now comprised of high-quality steel, even discarding most leather from his equipment. His helmet wasn't as bulky and had a more rounded shape and a T-shaped opening for his eyes and mouth. His chest plate was now a single metal piece instead of three segmented plates.

All in all, his armor provided a more durable defense than his last one, but it didn't compromise any of his mobility and the craftsmanship made it just as light if not lighter than his old one.

His shortsword got the same treatment, replaced with another one made of high-quality steel. The thing he definitely kept was the saber that Conan had bought him since it was made of more or less the same material.

A few months ago he wouldn't have considered wearing such equipment, justifying that if he was killed by goblins they would rob him and use it to become even more dangerous. But now it wasn't such a time, and he would need better equipment for the war. Before he wouldn't have bothered with such a thing, thinking goblins took priority. But after everything, he has been through, and everything Thugra Khotan did, he was definitely getting involved.

A sound of a turning doorknob could be heard before Cow Girl entered the room, and she saw Goblin Slayer in his new appearance and was taken aback by what she saw. He definitely looked more like 'proper adventurer' as many other adventurers like to put it.

Goblin Slayer then turned to her. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, it's just that… I can hardly recognize you like this," she commented as she took in his new look.

Goblin Slayer undid the knot beneath his chin and took off the steel helmet, revealing his head. "Better?"

Cow Girl just chuckled at that. "Well, at least now I know it's really you," she jokingly said to which he smiled. She really liked seeing him smile, especially after so long of him just being stoic. But her expression dropped and the atmosphere seemed to drop with her. "But, is it going to be enough?"

"It'll do," he simply said.

"But… will it guarantee that you'll come back alive?"

There was a pregnant silence that prevailed for a few moments before he responded. "I'm not sure."

"I see." Her eyes began to water slightly before she enveloped him in a hug. "I'm not going to ask you to promise me to come back alive. I know that it could go either way," she said through some sobs as tears flew down her cheeks. "Just… do your best to come back alive. That's all I ask for."

Goblin Slayer wrapped his arms around her and began rubbing her back in comfort. "I'll definitely try."

"Thank you."

* * *

Conan and the King finally arrived at the capital, a huge city surrounded by a wall. Once they went through the main entrance Conan took in his surroundings.

The city was grand, no other way to describe it. He only knew of several cities that might compare to this one, like the capital of Aquilonia, but still impressive nonetheless. He passed many buildings and marketplaces, all of which were populated by various races from the land, not just humans. There were some elves, people with animal-like features, similar to the waitress at the Guild, a lizardman here and there.

He was sure that people from his continent would have very amusing reactions if they saw something like that.

However, he mainly focused on a single target, the palace that was located within the center of this city. To the regular man, the palace would be one of the most beautiful structures ever seen. There were towers whose tops gleamed with golden colors. The white stone of which the palace was comprised gave the palace a certain shine in the sun. There were also several banners hanged at different sides, all in different coloring.

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" said the King as his head peered through the carriage window.

Conan shrugged his broad shoulders. "I suppose it is. Though, if I was in charge I would prioritize more practicality and fewer decorations."

"Normally I would agree, but this palace has been here for centuries and it was maintained in such a way," the King said. "But let's not focus on the outside. I'm sure that you would be more focused on the inside."

Conan gave him a nod. He was definitely going to be more focused on what was inside. And it wasn't about the decorations.

King and Conan soon found themselves walking through the palace hall. Like expected, it was decorated with paintings, fancy furniture, and carpentry, suits of armor and such, but all of it was ignored by Conan as they made their way to the meeting room, all the while being greeted by the servants.

The King led him through a hallway of the left wing of the palace before they reached one of the doors and the King stopped, which also made Conan do the same.

"Just so you know, things won't go smoothly from the beginning," the King said.

"I'm well aware. Just go in."

The King nodded before opening the door and entering. Within it stood three people at a table. Two men and a single woman. The woman was dressed in all black plate armor with only her head exposed, showing her purple hair and green eyes.

Another was an elderly man with silver hair and grey eyes, dressed in a black uniform instead of armor.

The last one was a man, who was dressed in gold armor, a sword with a jeweled hilt was hanging off his hip. He had long blond hair and blue eyes. Conan hoped that armor wasn't made of real gold otherwise this man was an idiot if he planned to wear it in battle.

The Old General looked at the new arrivals and smiled. "Well, look who came back," he then paid attention to Conan in particular. "And who is this?"

"That's not important right now," King deflected the question. "Have you sent out the messages?"

"We have," the Young General answered. "And we have received some answers. Half of our allies within the human kingdom have decided to join us. The rest either defected or remain out of the fight."

"We have also received support from the Lizardmen tribes, most of the demi-human leaders and the dwarves," the Female General said. "We still have yet to receive the answers from the elven kingdoms."

The King gave them a nod. "So far the situation isn't dire. However, the inclusion of the elven forces would definitely make things a lot easier. Let's hope we get an answer soon," he said before turning. "Now for another subject of the day. This man is Conan, a silver-ranked adventurer from the frontier, and the man I recently appointed general."

The reactions that followed were predictable.

"What?!" exclaimed Young General. "Have you gone mad?!"

"You appointed this man a general?" Female General asked, baffled by what she heard. "Why would you do such a thing? And at a doorstep of a war?"

"The reason he made me general is simple. I have experience in fighting Khotan's forces," Conan answered.

"You can't be serious," Young General said to the King. "For all you know, this man could just be lying to get a high position within the kingdom."

"Oh, I hardly have any reason to lie. There is no use in a high position if I end up. And I'm certain I've seen more battles that you have," Conan said which made the Young General glare at him.

"While I am skeptical about this," the Old General began. "I've lived long enough to see a man who has been on a battlefield. And you certainly seem to have it in drones. You have that look in your eye."

"Regardless of what you think, we can't just have him here," Female General said before turning to the King. "I'm sure that you didn't do this without a good reason but we still need to see if this man is good for such a title."

"Trust me, I've held that title before," Conan said before approaching the table. "So why don't we talk battle strategies? I'm certain that will prove to you that I'm truly worthy."

Old General rubbed his chin in thought. "Now that's a valid proposition," he said before smiling. "Alright then, I say we try."

Young General scoffed. "Fine then."

And so they began, talking about military strategy, battle positions, and many scenarios for quite some time, almost an hour and a half. The King also joined in discussing, wanting to judge Conan for himself. Sure he got assurance, but he needed to be sure that Conan was capable.

And so after that, the discussion stopped.

"Well, I hate to admit it," Young General said. "I must say I'm impressed. Perhaps you weren't just talk."

"I knew you were a commander the moment I saw you," Old General said with a smile. "But I must say I'm really impressed."

"You're certainly knowledgeable, if not anything else," Female General said.

"That I assume your doubts have been put to rest?" The King asked getting nods from his generals. "Then we should finally discuss how to combat Thugra Khotan. Conan shall share his knowledge about him with us."

"Finally, a reasonable decision," Conan said. "Shall we begin?"

"We shall," King said before turning to Conan. "But there is one thing left to take care of."

* * *

Goblin Slayer, dressed in his brand new armor, now stood within an open field along with many other people, ranging from warriors to wizards, scouts to healers, and many others from different races. All of these were adventurers that were called by the King to gather so they could be stationed in the army.

Alongside him was his team, Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman, High Elf Archer, and Priestess. Amazon Warrior, Female Knight, Witch, and Spearman were also there.

All of them arrive after the announcement came that the King was gathering his troops for war several days after Conan left with the King, and they immediately responded along with every adventurer within the Adventurer's Guild.

"Nice to see you wearing something other than that rust that you call armor," Spearman commented as he looked at Goblin Slayer.

"Really, you're making such comments now?" Amazon Warrior asked.

"Hey, it's true," Spearman defended. "That armor was of really low quality. This is certainly an improvement."

"It does look nice," Priestess commented.

"That it does," High Elf Archer agreed.

"New armor… aside," Witch began. "Are you all ready for this?"

"We most certainly are!" exclaimed Dwarf Shaman.

"I'll use all my skills to fight," Lizard Priest said.

"My blade shall slay our enemies," Female Knight said.

"You bet we are!" Spearman joined in.

Goblin Slayer smiled behind his helmet as he looked at them. He honestly felt like he was a part of a family.

"Well, if it isn't fancy meeting you here," a new voice came, causing the group to turn to the source. When Goblin Slayer saw who it was, he was honestly surprised.

Approaching them an attractive woman with short yellow hair and green eyes, over which she wore red glasses. She was dressed in a shirt over a black dress and a necklace with five red stones. Goblin Slayer recognized the woman as Arc Mage, someone who was also interested in goblins which caused them to become close companions during the time they worked together.

"You may have changed armor, but I can still tell it's you," Arc Mage said with a smile as she approached Goblin Slayer. "I thought you weren't the type for such things. The whole thing about fighting in an army, it just doesn't seem like your style."

"Normally it wouldn't be, but the circumstances have changed," Goblin Slayer said. "Though I'm glad I could see you again."

Arc Mage raised an eyebrow. She was familiar with the man's mannerisms and how he spoke with the time they spent working together. He was mostly quite serious and on the edge, but she hardly saw any of that in the man that stood before her. His tone was soft and relaxed, and the lack of tenseness seemed to suggest he wasn't as paranoid as before.

Arc mage once again smiled. "Well, you seem different from before. What happened to you exactly?"

"I had a… friend that helped me sort things out," Goblin Slayer said somewhat vaguely.

Spearman then leaned into Witch's ear. "Hey, isn't she that mage that you mentioned before? The one that was also curious about goblins?"

"Why yes… she is," Witch said as she watched Goblin Slayer and Arc Mage talk.

"Heh, and to think that Goblin Slayer has yet another babe that fawns over him," Spearman said. "Should I also be stoic and wear crappy equipment to have women just come at me?"

"Oh will you please be quiet, your jealousy is getting annoying," Female Knight said.

"I'm not jealous!" Spearman countered though nobody believed him.

Witch then approached Arc Mage and Goblin Slayer. "It's good to… see you… after so long," she said to Arc Mage who turned to her before practically she practically squealed and wrapped Witch in a hug which she returned.

"Oh, it's great to see you too! Why aren't you writing to me anymore? Did you finally get together with that spear guy?" she asked while the said 'spear guy' muttered a complaint under his breath.

Witch chuckled at her behavior. "Well, I've had… other things… planned. And no I… didn't get together… with Spearman. There is… someone else."

"Oh, now that's interesting," Arc Mage said with a curious glint in her eye. "And who might that be?"

"That friend that… Goblin Slayer mentioned."

"Hm, that man must have left quite an impact. Is he here, I'd very much like to meet him."

"You'll see him… soon enough."

"I can't wait," Arc Mage said before grabbing Goblin Slayer by the shoulder. "But it's nice to meet before we get stationed in different groups. I wonder how much time we have."

"Not much by the looks of it," Goblin Slayer commented as he looked in a certain direction which the others to look as well.

They turned to the podium that was located in front of the big group of adventurers from many kingdoms were now five figures. The first was the King and alongside him his three generals, but there was one that got Goblin Slayer's and other's attention.

That man was definitely Conan, but he wasn't dressed in his normal chainmail and tunic getup. Instead, he was now wearing silver armor, which consisted of a breastplate, gauntlets, shinguards over some black trousers and a helmet that hid some of his face which is why they had some trouble recognizing him. At his hip, he also had a single-handed sword that was different than the one used before.

Arc Mage saw that they were all looking at Conan. "Hm, I assume that this is the guy?"

"Yes, he is," Goblin Slayer answered.

The King then walked in the middle of the podium. "Adventurers!" he called out, his voice amplified courtesy of magic so he could address them all. "I thank you all for coming here! Your aid will be most appreciated and rewarded! Because today, a war begins!"

* * *

**AN: And that's it for now, my readers! The stage has been set and our heroes are now preparing for war against Thugra Khotan. And next time we'll find out just how exactly that's going to go down.**

**And I thank you all for your patience. Leave a review to tell me what you think about this chapter, and maybe check out my other story.**

**Hope you enjoyed! See you next time!**


	28. 27 The End is Nigh

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Hey there! Here's another upload for you, my dear readers. Though I'm sorry to say that this one on the short side and it doesn't have any action in it. That is reserved for the next one where you'll get plenty of it. I promise. **

**Now to reviews.**

**Dungeon Wyrm: That's an interesting thought but not very likely to happen. Thak doesn't seem like the type of villain suited for this story. If anything he was a villain by circumstance than anything else in the original story while Khotan and the others are more traditional villains.**

**Dracus6: Not really at the moment. I already changed so much from the original canon that things that happened in the actual Goblin Slayer story may not end up happening at all in here. I'll see later.**

**Jose19: That he certainly is.**

**Very true. This is why I wanted to bring this up in here since I haven't really seen that being brought up in Goblin Slayer before.**

**Guest: To you as well, friend! And yeah, she did but people really wanted to see her, myself included, so I included her as well. It will somewhat explained what happened.**

* * *

27 The End is Nigh

Thugra Khotan stood on a rocky hill, his green royal robes fluttering in the wind as he looked over his mighty army, his arms crossed and a smirk plastered on his face in confidence. A great collection of monsters of various kinds and human soldiers would make quite a frightening sight for his enemies.

It was time for an attack. These many months of preparation were finally going to come to fruition. First, he was going to attack the human kingdom, which from what he learned held the mightiest military force out of all others, mostly because of their numbers. He was sure that others would come to their aid, but would only serve Khotan because that would weaken their armies before he went after them as well.

Finally, he would taste the grand victory, he would become the ruler of this continent, and after that, he would take his even greater army back to his old one and conquer it as well. He would fulfill his desires and his duty as the high priest of Set, making the chaos god's worship spread out and the only one people would follow.

However, his mind went back for a moment to Conan, causing his confident smirk to falter. He remembered how he came back to the dungeon where he put him, only to find over a dozen dead guards and the panicked rest, the barbarian's cell empty and the chains Khotan crafted laying on the ground.

That damned barbarian has caused him more headaches than anyone else, even the other barbarians that invaded his palace over three thousand years ago. Khotan's hand went to his chest as if he could still feel that jackal's sword penetrating his chest. And now, this same man that felled him was here and roaming free.

However, Khotan became confident that he wouldn't be a problem after Conan's failed attempt at disrupting his ritual, but his confidence began to falter when the man escaped. He figured Conan for a brute, a man who slashes and cleaves without much of a thought, but he had proven to be quite cunning.

In any case, he pushed those thoughts to the side. He would deal with the barbarian at a later date. He needed to focus on the present and on his invading force.

"Master," Khotan heard Zaporavo say behind him, an eager look in the pirate's eyes. "Shall our troops begin marching?"

Khotan turned and smiled at the former captain. "Yes, give them the order."

Zaporavo gave him a wide grin before retreating down the hill.

Khotan then held out his hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a loud neighing could be heard followed by flappings of wings. In the sky appeared a black stallion with red eyes and huge demonic wings and behind him, he was dragging a chariot colored in green and gold.

The demonic horse descended from the sky and landed in front of the mighty wizard, who got into the chariot and took hold of the reins. The horse then neighed again and spread its wings as he flew, while Khotan rode in the air with him his army began marching.

* * *

Conan rode on a brown stallion, the army almost a hundred thousand strong behind him, the King and other generals and commanders. They rode for the better part of the day now, the sun was high and aside the marching hooves and feet nothing was heard.

Not too long ago they were informed of a large army suddenly gathering in a single spot, hundreds of kilometers east of the Human Kingdom. Many were surprised by this sudden turn of events but the King was ready with his army. Many people who were skeptical of him gathering his troops in such a hurry were now grateful for it. And soon, the army consisting of humans and many of their non-human allies began their advance to meet the demonic army head-on.

Conan was wondering about his comrades from the Adventurer's Guild. The King called for a gathering of adventurers throughout the country so they could join them in fighting Thugra Khotan. Most if not all of them agreed, and Conan knew that Goblin Slayer, Amazon Warrior, and the others were there. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to see them due to so many adventurers being there and very quickly organized into groups.

Conan then once again glanced at the new armor he wore. When he was discussing strategies with the generals the King had ordered for him to be equipped in an armor befitting of a warrior general. The armor was also enchanted, capable of increasing his already impressive physical attributes, making him stronger, faster and more durable than before. Normally he stayed wary of enchantments but his experiences in this land eased him into it. He also got an enchanted sword, which was powerful enough to cut through stone like paper.

His thoughts then went back to Thugra Khotan and how his full magical power returned. Perhaps these magic weapons and armor will be capable of evening the odds since Conan wasn't sure he could take him on normally.

"Is something bothering you?" Conan heard the King say as he rode back until he was next to Conan.

"Just the future battle," Conan said as he glanced at the King. "I hope that those generals will know how to listen. Last time I fought Khotan a count named Thespides rode out to meet him straight on, saying it was a 'knightly thing to do'. He didn't realize it was a trap before Khotan destroyed him and his knights."

"I assure you, Conan, my generals aren't blinded by pride. They will be reasonable," the King reassured. "But that's not all that's on your mind, is it?"

"And what else would be?"

"Perhaps there is someone waiting for you to come back from this war. Someone special to you," the King suggested.

Conan just chuckled. "If you think there is a fair maiden waiting at a house with her hands clasped in prayer for my return then I can safely tell you that it isn't the case," he said with a smirk. "Though, I can safely say that they are a part of this very army."

The King was surprised for a bit. "I see. So she is one of the adventurers?"

"Who said it's only one?"

The King's eyes actually twitched at that. He definitely wasn't expecting it to be _that _kind of relationship. "You have to excuse me, I was only assuming since that's not usually the norm," he said to which Conan just gave a shrug. "Then let me ask you something else. Aren't you worried about them?" That actually got the Cimmerian curious. "In war, death is possible for anyone. Aren't you worried about what might come to be?"

Conan's grip on the reins slightly tightened. He honestly didn't think about it. He has been to war many times but actually having people he cared about being a part of the troops he led to almost certain death wasn't really something he experienced all that often. Not only the women he was in a relationship with, but Goblin Slayer and others were also a part of this and are in equal circumstances.

"Conan, are you alright?" he asked seeing Conan's sudden silence.

"I'm fine," Conan said in a tone that indicated he didn't want to continue this conversation.

The King read the tone clearly and understood. "Well then… I hope I didn't bother you too much." And with that, he resumed his position of riding in front of the others.

Conan gave a slight groan before rubbing his face. "By Crom, when have things become so complicated?"

* * *

Nightfall soon came, and tents were set up all around the open field and hills for the large army, the largest on accommodating the King and his generals. Some fires were also started for those who stayed awake longer at night.

Conan got out of the main tent, without his armor, dressed in a simple blue shirt and dark pants, and looked around, seeing the field illuminated with campfires. He then went to look around, inspecting people who sat at those fires. He was trying to find anyone who he was familiar with, as he most likely wouldn't be able to see them tomorrow.

He passed many campfires, most of whom were adventurers, many in similar multiracial combinations that Goblin Slayer's usual team was. After looking some more he noticed someone at one of the campfires and a smile crept up to his face before walking there.

Amazon Warrior sat with some other amazons around a fire. All of the women had muscular physiques, though Amazon Warrior on the more muscular side. Some had similar dark skin she did but others had a lighter tone.

"So tell us, sister, how were your adventures these few years?" A blonde amazon with a sword asked.

"They went really well, had lots of fun, too," Amazon Warrior said with a smile before that smile settled back in a thin line. "Well, except the… you know."

The blond amazon looked confused for a moment before her eye widened in realization. "Oh, I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean to…"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Amazon Warrior said. "Man, I wish we could have brought some good drinks here, something to lighten the mood."

Another amazon laughed, this one being the oldest of the group as she appeared to be in her forties and sporting a mid-length black hair. "You really think alcohol would be good for this situation? When we are about to face hordes of monsters?"

Conan coughed, getting the attention of the amazons, and also making Amazon Warrior grin at seeing him up close.

"Well, if it isn't the mighty general Conan?" Amazon Warrior said in mock respect before rising from her sitting position. "And why would someone of your renown grace such lowly warriors as us with your presence?"

Conan couldn't help but laugh at that. "Well, at least you're still amusing."

She scoffed at that. "Only amusing, am I?"

"It might take some time before you actually become entertaining."

"Entertaining? Why you…" she lightly growled out before grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him to her eye level, all the while Conan simply grinned. "If I didn't know you were joking I would have pummeled you already." She then smiled. "But, at least it's good to have you up close." She then gave Conan a kiss on lips.

The other amazons looked surprised at what the two were doing.

"Wait a minute," exclaimed a short-haired amazon with a war hammer. "He is the lover you were talking about?"

Amazon Warrior broke the kiss and looked at her amazon companion with a prideful expression. "What's the matter? Jealous?"

"Just… curious," that amazon said but it was clear she actually was jealous.

"I must say," the older amazon spoke. "He is quite a catch. And a general no less."

"I was only recently promoted. She and I met way before that," Conan explained before turning back to Amazon Warrior. "Tell me, do you by any chance know where the others are located?"

"Sorry, I can't say I do," she answered. "After we were stationed with different groups we lost track of each other. I can't say where the others are."

Conan sighed. "Well, at least I was able to find you among this rabble."

Amazon Warrior grinned before wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Aw, I knew you cared."

"Are you two going to start tearing your clothes or are you going to sit down?" the blonde amazon asked.

Amazon Warrior got an annoyed look on her face. "You're no fun."

Conan then sat among the warrior women with Amazon Warrior joining him. After that, the night was filled with talks of adventuring and fights.

* * *

At another part of the camp, Goblin Slayer sat among a few other adventurers who he never actually met before, he was just placed with them. He took his helmet off but remained in his armor and he made sure to at least carry the saber, as he thought he should at least be ready. So far he didn't really say much as he wasn't really familiar with these people, so he mostly just sat and watched the fire, getting lost in his thoughts.

He thought of the upcoming battle and he honestly wasn't sure what to make of it. He was placed as an infantry soldier, along with Female Knight and other knights who weren't on horseback so making strategies wasn't exactly something he would be doing. He didn't like it. In his mind, such strategies were necessary for survival, but he would be following orders of somebody else, and he wasn't sure if they would make the right decisions.

It was somewhat funny since now that he thought of it, it seemed like his paranoia made it look like he was full of himself. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he wasn't so liked at first.

"Hello there," he heard a voice behind him and saw that it was Arc Mage, and she also got the attention of the others but he didn't notice. "I hope you don't mind if I borrow him for a moment," she said pointing at Goblin Slayer.

"Oh ho, looks like we have a lucky guy here," one of them teased with a knowing smirk causing some them to laugh and others to roll their eyes. "Sure, go ahead."

"Splendid!" she exclaimed before grabbing Goblin Slayer by the arm. "Come, we have a lot to talk about."

He rose without any resistance, even he was eager to talk with her.

Once they got a good distance away Arc Mage swiftly turned around and smiled at him. "So, tell me. How have you been these days?"

"Well enough, I suppose," he answered.

Arc Mage arched an eyebrow at that. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she asked. Goblin Slayer proceeded to explain to her the whole situation with Thugra Khotan and what he did. "Oh, that's…" She then rubbed the back of her head. "I'm sorry about that."

"That's what this whole war is about," Goblin Slayer said. "We will kill him." The hatred and determination that showed in his eyes surprised Arch Mage a little bit. She could see something similar when he was so determined to destroy goblins but this seemed different. Like he had a lot more to lose this time. "But tell me, how are you even here. Last time I saw you we were at that tower and you disappeared."

"Yeah, that thing happened," she muttered under her breath. "As it turns out, being at the 'edge of the world' really isn't all it's cracked up to be. I honestly didn't find as much as I thought I would." The disappointment in her voice was so clear Goblin Slayer could almost smell it. "But I'll tell you later about it. Just so you know, I've returned a while ago. Why didn't you make any contact with me?"

Goblin Slayer blinked at that. "I was… occupied."

"Let me guess, killing goblins." He gave her a nod to which she sighed. "You could have at least asked around. Even Witch knew I was back. You were such a good company before and I missed you."

"I didn't see a reason to. I assumed you wouldn't return."

Arc Mage puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "I should be hurt by that remark," she said before her expression settled. "But I suppose I can't blame you." She then gave him a wide smile. "Still, it's great to be able to work with you again. Well, not actually work but you know what I mean."

Goblin Slayer smiled before nodding. "I can say the same."

Arc Mage laughed. "You know, I really like it when you're not so serious all the time," she remarked.

"I've been told," he said to which she laughed.

"So, tell me," Arc Mage began before leaning towards him teasingly and a smirk adorning her face. "Have you found someone… special?"

Goblin Slayer was at first puzzled by what she meant but the gears in his brain quickly picked up on what she was insinuating. "Well, I did," he said leaving a small pause before continuing. "Several actually."

Now it was Arc Mage's turn to be surprised. "Really? Several?" he gave her a nod. She then gained a seemingly thoughtful look as her eyes looked at the ground for a moment before smiling widely. "Well, I might as well jump that wagon."

"Wha-" he began but was caught off guard by Arc Mage giving him a surprise kiss on the lips. One which was quickly followed by her tongue.

* * *

Morning came and Conan, back in his new armor, sat on his horse with other generals and the King looking over their army. Besides Amazon Warrior, he couldn't find anyone else that night so he decided to go to sleep before staying up for too long. He needed his rest if he was to properly fight in this war.

It was a real shame. He would gladly have spoken at least a few more words with them before the war.

One of the scouts quickly came up to them and bowed. "We saw a massive army of many monsters coming our way from the east! They'll be here in a matter of hours!"

The King nodded before looking at Conan. "This is it. Let's hope that you're right about this."

"It's too late to doubt me now," Conan said before narrowing his eyes at the direction where Khotan's army approached. "My lord and generals! Gather our troops! It's time we faced this snake of a wizard and his pitiful army!"

Conan's proclamation was met with positive exclamations from the people around him as they prepared for war.

* * *

**AN: And that's all for now. Sorry for the shorter length but I promise you the next chapter will make up for it and then some. I hope you are prepared for that!**

**And I hope you check out two of my other stories as well. I assure you it's not a waste of time.**

**See you next time!**


	29. 28 The Serpent's Head

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Hello there, my faithful reader! I bring you the second to last chapter of this fanfiction. Yes, this story is coming to a close soon, and this is the chapter where the battle finally begins. I hope that it delivers on expectations.**

**Now to reviews.**

**Dracus6: Yes it is. And they teamed up before in this story.**

**Wow, not too many reviews this time around. But I suppose that's expected considering the last chapter was just a simple prelude to the battle.**

* * *

28 The Serpent's Head

Conan stared at the approaching across the other side of the huge plane where they were located. The numbers of Thugra Khotan's forces seemed to be roughly equal to their own. Conan's eyes were hardly able to make out what the army was consisted of exactly, with how many mixed species of humans and monsters it had, and almost all dressed in different garb. However, the constant in the army was the green snake banner they carried, their symbol of worship of the Stygian serpent god Set.

However, he was able to make out at least the appearance of Zaporavo who stood in the front, dressed in this time in more armored clothing with some plating over chainmail and helmet, his scimitar already drawn. Conan's gaze narrowed at the former pirate, remembering all the harm he had done to him and the Adventurer's Guild, but he knew he shouldn't focus on Zaporavo too much as he wasn't Conan's biggest concern.

Instead, he tried to focus on finding Thugra Khotan, the wizard he thought he killed years ago and the one instigating this attack, however, he seemed harder to track down. Then Conan saw him, appearing over his army riding on a winged horse that looked like it was straight from Hell, his green robes fluttering in the wind.

"A bit dramatic, wouldn't you think so?" asked the golden-armored general as he rode beside Conan, also seeing Khotan on his flying mount.

"I couldn't care less," Conan said. "By Crom, I'll send him and his army straight to Hell. If not today, then tomorrow. This time I'll make sure to kill a snake properly. By cutting off its head."

"Quite a speech you got there," said the Female General behind Conan. "I hope you're right about his battle tactics, otherwise we'll be the ones going to Hell."

"Trust me, I'd be an idiot to come all this way just to die," Conan said before drawing his enchanted blade. "If I'm right, Khotan should be the one to attack first."

After a bit of waiting, the sound of a war horn came from the Khotan's army and his troops began to march forward, all of their weapons drawn and shields raised.

"This is it!" the Female General exclaimed. "Ready the pikemen at the front, bowmen at the back!"

"And make sure we have mages on standby!" Conan ordered. "We must be prepared if Khotan decides to use his magic! Once their position breaks hit them fast and hit them hard!"

Conan and the generals then rode to join their troops.

High Elf Archer stood ready with her bow in hand with other elven archers. She gazed at the approaching army, seeing it was only those who traveled on foot. Looks like they wanted to use their mounts for later.

"Archers ready!" came a command from an elven officer.

And the archers readied their weapons. High Elf Archer took one of her arrows, put on the string, aimed and notched the string until it was near her ear. She began to sweat as she heard the sound of numerous footsteps approaching. She needed to make her shots count. And she hoped that those of the others will.

"LOOSE!"

The fingers let go of the arrows, a large volley of arrows was sent at the army at high speeds. Many hit their mark, downing dozens of soldiers, but many also missed or reflected off the armor.

"AGAIN!"

Once again, the archers notched their arrows.

"LOOSE!"

And once again the arrows flew across the battlefield; however, the effect was now better due to the shorter distance between the opposing sides.

The action was repeated yet again, unfortunately, there was not to be a next time as the soldiers came really close so the archers had to back away. The spearmen were ready with their shields up and their spears pointed, feet firmly on the ground.

Dwarf Shaman stood in a row of other mages who specialized in Earth magic as they had their hands extended. He had a determined look on his face as he saw the army clear the distance.

"Come on, just a little closer you bastards," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrow in anticipation and his muscles tense.

And just as the opposing army closed the distance the mages quickly activated their Earth magic. The ground beneath the soldiers at the front exploded, shocking the army for a bit as some of them got caught in the blast. The attack caused a small crater that was about two meters wide and went the length of the army.

The spearmen came to action. Their enemy was in shock so they capitalized on it by thrusting their spears, catching quite a few of them, some still inside the small crater. The enemy troops then regain their senses and once again charged.

With a mighty roar, the foot soldiers of the King's army met them head-on. The clashes of iron, steel, obsidian and all kids of metal now made a deadly song of death between the two opposing forces. They hacked, stabbed, slashed, smashed, many falling on each side. Corpses already began littering the grass, spraying it with blood; people fell with body parts missing, mangled faces, armor parts caved in.

The monsters on the other side ranged from imps, to trolls, even demons. However, many powerful adventurers and warriors who came to the service of their kings and leaders stood up to them, making the usual monster advantage mute.

Goblin Slayer fought alongside many foot soldiers as he also pressed on the attack. He was in the process of bisecting one of the goblins before he made a sidestep to the side to avoid an axe strike from a hobgoblin. As the monster tried to get its axe out of the ground he quickly stepped on its fist and hurled himself to the hob's head, and pierced it through the neck. The hob let go of the sword before grabbing his throat but soon collapsed, joining among the many dead.

Then another enemy came at Goblin Slayer, but this time it was a man dressed in chainmail wearing a simple helmet and armed with an axe. He tried to attack Goblin Slayer with his axe but it was blocked by the adventurer's shield. Goblin Slayer then grabbed him by the arm and twisting it at the elbow. The man screamed in pain before Goblin Slayer shoved the tip of his saber through his eye and into his brain.

Goblin Slayer threw the dead man off of him before engaging another one. This fight definitely felt different than any other he was engaged in. This one was on a much grander scale, somewhere where he felt wasn't his place. But he knew what he needed to do, the times where he was indifferent to these things were behind him.

He cut another man down as he tried a sneak attack. Goblin Slayer thought of using his other weapons like his throwing knives but decided to keep them for later, feeling that he might need to.

Lizard Priest swung his mighty blade and cut off a head of a troll, blood spurting from the place his head used to be before collapsing. Several former bandits tried to attack him at the same time but with great speed he swung his blade, cutting them down.

He then pierced another troll that was about to attack another adventurer from behind. He then picked up the troll with his great strength and hurled it at some of the enemy soldiers, incapacitating them at the very least.

Lizard Priest also watched as his other kinsmen fought, taking down many enemies but also saw some of them lying on the ground. He didn't look for too long before attacking another enemy.

Spearman roared as he jumped up and thrust the tip of his spear through the head of a black-furred demon, it dropped dead quickly. He then swung wildly at his enemies, man and monster alike, a frown etched on his scarred face.

He was letting a lot of his pent up anger out on this battlefield. After everything that they did to his comrades, to his friends, it was finally time for some payback. Three more fell to his spear in an instant. Spearman knew that he may not be able to take out the major players of this war, but he was going to make sure he took as many of their minions as he could, the less for them the better.

He once again made heavy swings, blood splattering around him, some even landing on his armor and face, which he quickly wiped off before finding some other opponents to take out his anger on.

Amazon Warrior was in a similar boat that Spearman was, using her axe to take out her anger on her enemies. She yelled before swinging down her axe at another enemy warrior, a female this time, who tried to block it with her sword but the axe cut straight through the blade before striking the helmet and digging halfway into her head.

Amazon Warrior kicked the body away, before running at another warrior who wasn't able to do anything before meeting his end as the axe struck him in the face.

This battle was far from over and there were still a lot of enemies to kill.

Despite the adventurers' success, the enemy was still as effective as they were, killing many soldiers on the side of the King.

Away from the battle, Thugra Khotan watched as the two armies clashed, which has been going on for a while now. He was honestly surprised to see their numbers were almost as great as his own were. He was under the impression that he prepared himself quickly enough so that the Kingdom could not properly prepare for his assault. And he had to admit the trick they pulled was somewhat clever.

The battle down there seemed to be a stalemate. No side gained any significant advantage over the other and that was beginning to bother Khotan. He wanted to be in control even on the battlefield. He needed to do something to turn the odds in his favor.

"Zaporavo!" the mighty wizard called out which was quickly answered as Zaporavo rode next to him. "Take the mounts around the battlefield and attack them from the side. Make sure to use diversionary tactics to make it seem like you are providing reinforcements to the foot soldiers before making a quick turn."

Zaporavo nodded before riding off and commanding the mounted soldiers to follow him.

Thugra Khotan then watched his strategy unfold. Zaporavo did as he was told, and rode towards the foot soldiers as seeming reinforcements; the sounds of galloping horses joined the battle cries of soldiers and clashes of metal.

And once he made that turn, with his troops, which consisted not just of people on horseback, but also things like black hounds, or huge lizards, serpents and such. However, he saw something that caught him by surprise. The enemy forces were retaliating with their own horsemen, who rode to meet Zaporavo and his own forces. That itself wasn't a surprising part, he did indeed expect them to make a counteroffensive. The thing that didn't make sense was them responding so soon, almost immediately in fact.

The mounts from the King's army clashed with Khotan's, paralleling the event that happened with the foot soldiers, meeting each other head-on. The millennia-old wizard wondered how this could be, it is like they were expecting such a diversionary tactic considering how fast they responded.

Then something peculiar came to Khotan's attention. Using magic to enhance his eyes, making them glow yellow and causing vertical slits to appear on them, he focused on one figure among the many horsemen in the King's army. And that is where he saw… Conan.

His eyes widened in shock at what he saw. He didn't expect to see Conan here. He knew that Conan would fight back against him, but from what he was seeing the Cimmerian was dressed in high-quality armor, similar to which the generals of the army were wearing. The question that came to Khotan's mind was how on Earth the barbarian became a general, especially since not too long ago he was only a silver-ranked adventurer. What stroke of luck came to the northman to make him such a high-ranking individual?

However, that did explain how his attack was countered so quickly. Conan has led troops against him years ago and most likely remembered some of the battle strategies he employed. Khotan let out some curses in an ancient language. This was the worst luck he could possibly have. The King already had the numbers to rival his own but with Conan leading the charge the odds just might be against him.

Thing about Khotan, he wasn't good at improvising on the spot as he always relied on the more careful planning but he wouldn't be able to do that if his plans could be countered.

He then paid more attention to the attack to see how well his army fared. It could only be described by one word… badly.

* * *

Conan cut off a head of an orc that riding a giant war hound before the orc fell off his mount. The said mount snarled, saliva coming down his mouth, and jumped at Conan, ready to tear him apart with its sharp teeth but Conan just hit him with the pommel of his sword and sent him flying away.

Conan grinned at the strength this enchanted armor provided him. Combining that with the sword and he was able to cut through enemies like paper. It was a sight that was somewhat different yet the same one he was used to, riding through hordes of enemies and hacking them to pieces.

A serpent rider tried to attack him but Conan cut off the serpent's head in one quick move, causing the body to double over and crush its rider.

Zaporavo cut through one of the horseback knights that tried to attack him, his eyes seeming on fire from how angry he was feeling. His troops were caught completely off guard by such a quick response and began falling quicker than his enemies. And now he was seeing that damned barbarian leading them as if Fate wanted to mock him.

So he set out to ride to confront him, the scimitar that was enhanced by his master's magic ready in his hand. He quickly rode his horse, trying to avoid other soldiers, not wanting any pointless distractions. Some came to stop him but he dealt with them quickly.

Conan slashed another man off his horse before seeing Zaporavo riding towards him with his blade ready to strike. The two clashed with their sword, both enchanted blades causing sparks to come as they came in contact.

"You aren't escaping me this time, savage!" the former pirate captain proclaimed as the two swung at each other, their horses circling as they did.

"You are an idiot for not retreating," Conan said he parried the scimitar strike. "Your troops are at a serious disadvantage. Is your pride really more important to you than your life?"

"Don't flatter yourself!" Zaporavo said through grit teeth as he blocked Conan's sword strike. "Once I deal with you I'll reorganize my troops and destroy this pathetic army of yours!"

"Heh, you never change," Conan said as he once again parried a strike. "But unfortunately for you, I have more important business to attend!"

Before Zaporavo could yell out his frustration over what Conan said he noticed something came in his field of vision. When he slightly turned he was met with the familiar figure of Female Knight who flew through the air right at him. He didn't have time to react as the woman tackled him causing him to grunt and fall off his horse, with both of them landing on the ground below.

Conan smirked at the situation and rode away to deal with other soldiers.

Zaporavo stood up with a grumble, recovering his sword which fell away from him after the tackle. He saw Female Knight standing in front of him, sword and shield drawn, and anger that surpassed his adorning her beautiful face.

"You must have a death wish if you want to fight me," Zaporavo mockingly said as he pointed his scimitar at her.

"You are the only one dying today," Female Knight said as she readied herself for a fight. "I'll make sure to send you to Hell personally for what you did."

Zaporavo chuckled at that. "Oh really? You are going to send me to Hell? I'm the best swordsman in the world. Why else do you think master Khotan resurrected me?" The two of them began circling each other. "The barbarian left you to die. Soon you'll be nothing more than another corpse to be trampled on this battlefield!"

Zaporavo then charged at her, swinging his sword to strike which was blocked by the woman's shield. She went for a counter which was blocked by Zaporavo's own sword before he made a counter. They stood like that for a while, an exchange of counters, blocks, and slashes as the bigger battle was happening around them.

However, when their swords locked once again, Zaporavo made a twisting motion that disarmed Female Knight of her sword. She gasped when she looked at her now empty hand backed away as Zaporavo moved closer towards her, his face morphed in a mocking grin and his scimitar pointed at her head.

"You should have heeded the savage's warning from before and stayed away from me," Zaporavo gloated as he readied to strike at her once again.

However, something happened that caught the towering pirate off guard. Female Knight loosened the grip on her shield and threw it at Zaporavo, whose eyes widened at the action but he quickly put up his sword and blocked the incoming projectile. Female Knight was quickly upon him, using the distraction to her advantage. She made a chop with her hand on the man's wrist which caused him to grunt in pain as he let dropped his sword. Female Knight then landed a gauntleted punch at the man's face, making him bleed from his nose. She thanked Goblin Slayer in her mind for teaching her that maneuver.

She then once again tackled him, both landing on the ground with her on top of him. Female Knight then began punching away at his face, landing several blows before Zaporavo caught her hands. His bleeding face was enraged; he threw her off him with a mighty shove.

But before any of them could get up a shadow landed on then, as they saw a horse standing up on its rear legs, letting out pained neighs as a spear was sticking into its neck. The horse was about to fall on them, and they quickly rolled out of the way as it fell.

Female Knight didn't want to waste any time. She saw Zaporavo's scimitar lying next to her and quickly went to pick it up. She then saw Zaporavo rising behind the corpse of the horse and she quickly charged at him. Zaporavo noticed her too late, his eyes wide in shock as she thrust the scimitar, piercing him through his neck.

Her eyes were narrowed in anger while Zaporavo's were still wide in shock. Female Knight then quickly pulled out the blade out of his neck, and he quickly tried to cover his wound. But it was to no avail. His lungs were beginning to fill with blood, his vision darkened as he looked in the eyes of his killer. He couldn't believe it, once again he was struck down, but instead of in a straight fight it was thanks to a distraction, making this death even more shameful in his opinion. Even Conan wasn't the one who killed him.

Fate really mocks me, were his last thoughts before his vision went completely dark and he fell on the ground, his corpse lying alongside the horse's corpse.

Female Knight glared at the man's corpse before looking at the sword in her hand. She scoffed before throwing it on Zaporavo's body. But a small smile was forming on her face, thoughts of finally being able to avenge her love became more prominent.

But she regained her focus. She quickly went to pick up her sword and shield before finding herself a riderless horse. There was still a battle that needed finishing.

* * *

Thugra Khotan clenched his fist in anger as he watched Zaporavo die. He was one of the more valuable servants, though a very prideful one. The rest of the army was slowly being overwhelmed by the King's forces. That wasn't good.

He quickly turned towards one of the officers. "Send an order to retreat! Now!" the servant quickly bowed and mounted his horse to give the order.

Khotan then glared back at the battlefield. This attack was going poorly. He was supposed to storm the land, plunder it of resources, kill the opposition, and set himself as the ruler. But this twist of fate wasn't in his favor. Conan leading the enemy army turned the odds around, now the King's army was superior on the battlefield.

He thought about using his magic, but he restrained himself since they would obviously expect such a tactic which is why their mages were still in position. He wished he could have gotten more mages into his army but it would appear that these lands kept a tight leash on them, and creatures like Goblin Shamans weren't really all that creative when it came to using magic, at least most of the time. His power over portals wouldn't be all that helpful either since he can only open one at a time and only in limited size, not to mention they stay open for a little while out of his control so enemies could use it for a limited time. In other words, his options were limited.

His troops then began pulling back and retreating back to their previous position, however, they were of course followed by the enemies but not too long so it doesn't just turn into a chase, even archers could help only a little.

After a while of retreating tactics, the position of the Sun showed that it was almost dusk. It would be dark soon, so the troops needed rest. Khotan then got an idea about what to do. It was risky but it was a gamble he was willing to take.

* * *

Once the dark fell the soldiers went back to camp to rest, but not before the wounded were treated by the healers. The leaders of the army also went to their individual tents where they rested for the night, unaware of the plot that Thugra Khotan was planning.

Shevatas walked silently through the enemy camp, his hand on the handle of his blade, ready to be drawn at the moment's notice. He was cloaked by his master's magic, making his moves even more silent. With him were several other assassins that were cloaked by magic, and they were given a single mission by Thugra Khotan, to eliminate the leaders of the opposing army, especially Conan.

Khotan's magic also cloaked them from sight, making them capable of passing by some sentries without them noticing. Shevatas almost laughed at that, passing right in front of them with them being none the wiser.

But he was still a cautious man and made sure to be careful when sneaking through the camp. His eyes landed on of the tents, one where Conan slept in. This was pointed out to him by his master when he watched Conan enter the tent.

He then hurried his step a bit, not seeing anything in the noticeable in the way. He grinned as he moved closer to the tent, ready to make a giant blow to the King and his army. Zaporavo may have fallen, but Shevatas was confident that discreet actions were the right way to deal with this.

Then his instincts came in, hearing something suddenly coming from behind him made him quickly unsheathe his sword and turn around. His blade was met with yet another in a clang of steel. Shevatas backed away and saw his attacker. While he wore a different set of armor he recognized the stance and the saber he was using. It was Goblin Slayer.

"How did you find me?" Shevatas asked as his eyes narrowed, the cloaking spell wearing off and revealing his full form.

"I couldn't see you or hear you, but I was able to spot some irregular movement of the grass as you walked by me," Goblin Slayer explained.

Shevatas then recalled that he actually did pass someone who looked like Goblin Slayer, and the man's head was turned in his direction, but from the way he was laying on the ground, he assumed the person was asleep.

"What is going on here?!" came a voice of someone else as two elven sentries came into view and saw the two men with their weapons drawn.

"He was using some sort of cloaking magic to sneak into the camp. There are more than likely more of them," Goblin Slayer explained to the two sentries, not taking his eyes off Shevatas even for a moment.

Shevatas cursed under his breath. He has been found out, and now the others are more than likely to be tracked when these two warn the rest of the camp, and he couldn't fight all three of them without getting attention. There was only one thing that he could do in this situation.

Shevatas quickly turned to the side and began running away, with Goblin Slayer immediately following after him.

"Leave him to me! You help others find the rest of them!" Goblin Slayer exclaimed as he followed after the Zamoran thief. Despite the seeming logical reasoning of them needing to find other people cloaked by magic, Goblin Slayer's reason for chasing the man was selfish. This man was one of the main reasons why all this turned out the way it did, it was he who kidnapped Cow Girl and almost got her killed, he who helped Khotan finish his ritual. He didn't think anyone besides goblins would piss him off so much, and his minds went back to when Conan told him that humans could be worse than goblins, and he experienced it recently. Right now, Goblin Slayer was out for blood.

The two of them ran into the forest, Shevatas trying to escape with Goblin Slayer high on his heels, the fact that he was armored didn't make him slower during the chase. Shevatas briefly looked behind him seeing that only Goblin Slayer was chasing him before focusing his attention on the path in front of him. The dark made it hard to navigate through the woods but he managed.

He jumped over some of the bushes into a clearer space and was about to continue running but after making a step his foot was grabbed by Goblin Slayer after leaping after him, making him lose his balance as both of them fell on the ground.

"No more running away," Goblin Slayer growled out as he took out his weapons, his red eyes seemingly glowing in the night.

Shevatas got up with a grunt, his own weapon drawn. He knew that Goblin Slayer was right, there was no retreating now. "Then let us settle this."

Goblin Slayer attacked first with his saber, making some quick slashing motions to which Shevatas responded by blocking and countering. Shevatas avoided one of the slashes before striking at Goblin Slayer's legs but the attack was blocked by his shield.

After avoiding another swing, Goblin Slayer backed away and quickly reached for the small sheaths on his belt, taking out his throwing knives and hurling them at Shevatas who quickly went to deflect them with his sword but one was able to hit him on the shoulder, making the master thief moan in pain before taking it out.

Goblin Slayer then once again went on the offensive with several quick slashes, which Shevatas had a harder time blocking, but the thief was able to seize the opportunity as he struck with his sword at Goblin Slayer's saber near the handle and causing the adventurer to let go of his blade. Not wanting to stop his offensive Shevatas made a downward slash Goblin Slayer who raised his shield to block but his new swordless swiftly went behind his back, grabbing the shortsword he was carrying.

As Shevatas for what he thought was an opening Goblin Slayer swung his shortsword and cut through Shevatas' hand, literally disarming him, and making blood flow from the stump to the ground. Goblin Slayer then followed up by a shield bash to Shevatas' chest stunning him before putting his sword up for a mighty strike and slashing down, his sword splitting skull luck a melon.

The body of Khotan's servant stood still as Goblin Slayer's blade dug through it to the neck. Goblin Slayer pulled out his sword, letting the corpse fall unceremoniously to the floor, copious amounts of blood spilling out of his split skull. Tat Shevatas, the master thief of Zamora, lay dead once again.

Goblin Slayer stood over the fallen Zamoran, glaring as he did so. "Good riddance," was all he said before turning away and leaving for the camp. Someone else will pick up the corpse.

* * *

While this was going on, Thugra Khotan watched the events unfold through his crystal ball. He wanted to see how his servants were progressing. And once again, what he saw made him mad.

After the bad luck of Shevatas being discovered his other servants were also discovered soon after and weren't able to deal any significant damage. The last image that was in the crystal ball he was holding was of Shevatas' corpse lying on the grass.

The grip on the object tightened so hard that it began to crack. Khotan let out a yell of anger and frustration before the ball shattered in his hand from his grip, a thousand small pieces dropping on the floor.

* * *

The next day, the battle resumed. The green plains were once again being colored by blood and corpses as the two armies clashed. However, the advantage was clearer this time.

Conan and Young General rode side by side as they slaughtered the enemy forces, with the Young General letting out a laugh as he did so, his golden armor gleaming in the Sun.

"This becoming a piece of cake!" he shouted as he relieved a horseman of his head. "We countered these bastards at every turn! Victory will surely be ours by the end of this day!"

"I hope you're right!" Conan said as he cut down hobgoblin. "I'm more concerned that Khotan hasn't gotten himself involved! We should watch out for what he is planning!"

"I think you're being paranoid! He's probably planning a surrender! Especially after that failed assassination!"

"I honestly doubt it! Khotan didn't seem the type to surrender!"

The said wizard was watching the battle with a frown on his face. This battle once again wasn't in his favor. His numbers were declining rapidly and any counter offense he made was predicted and countered. His army was being slaughtered and there was no immediate way he could see for an advantage.

So he had no choice. He needed to go there himself.

Witch and Arc Mage were fighting side by side among other mages. During the duration of the battle, they mostly stayed back, using their fire magic to mostly serve as assistance to other soldiers. Now the mages served a more active role, being more on the offensive after the enemy numbers reduced.

"I must say, I'm glad!" Arc Mage said to her friend as she shot a fireball at the enemy lines. "I don't remember the last time we fought side by side!"

"You're mostly… a recluse. I'm more… active, so it's… no surprise," Witch said as she shot her own fire magic at the enemies.

"Oh, come on! You're making it sounds worse than it actually is!" Arc Mage whined with a pout on her face causing Witch to laugh.

However, almost everyone suddenly felt something ominous in the air. A strange sense of dread came upon both Khotan's and the King's army. Dark clouds suddenly gathered together, almost as if purposely put above the armies, something that everyone on the battlefield noticed.

However, the mages could feel what that was, their years of training making them feel what was going on.

"This is…" Arc Mage began, suddenly losing any jovial tone and her face becoming serious.

"Magic," Witch finished, her smile dropped as she stared upwards, feeling dark energies gathering in those clouds.

Up on top of a hill, away from his army, Khotan stood in front of a large stone that served as a makeshift altar. Upon this altar lay over a dozen small animals, most of which were rabbits, birds or frogs, all cut at the belly, their blood spilling out unto the stone.

Khotan finished cutting another rabbit with his sacrificial dagger before throwing the rabbit on the pile of animal bodies. He then spread his arms wide.

"O mighty Set, god of chaos, hear thy servant," he began chanting as the clouds gathered above the armies. "I offer this sacrifice in thy name, o mighty serpent. Give me your blessing."

Thunder then began appearing in the gathered clouds, which got everyone's attention and made many nervous.

"Give me the power to vanquish my enemies. Let the blood of these creatures and my prayers show my loyalty!"

Thunder then became visible in the clouds making many to be slowly overcome by panic.

On the battlefield, Conan watched what was going on, and gave an annoyed snarl. Of course, now of all time would Khotan decide to join in.

"Get the mages to prepare! We need to have shields for what is to come!" he roared the order.

Khotan's eyes became serpentine before beginning to glow red.

"O mighty Set, let those infidels feel thy wrath!"

Then suddenly, lightning bolts came from the clouds, descending down upon the King's army. However, over the army a bright dome appeared, radiating divine light. The storm of lightning bolts rained down on the shield.

Thunderous cracks and booms could be heard for many kilometers, the ground shook from the power struggle.

Inside the shield, many mages grunted in pain as the lighting storm continued to pound on the shield, some barely holding on. Priestess was among those mages, holding her staff in the air as it emitted holy light. Sweat was dripping down her brow as her body shook from the constant thunder strikes. She looked around slightly, seeing that others were in a similar state while others outright collapsed, honestly she thought it was a miracle that she was even able to keep this shield up. And since the shield wasn't placed all that high above them, the lighting made quite an intimidating sight.

More and more mages began collapsing from the strain of maintaining the protective barrier, causing it to get weaker and weaker. But they didn't panic considering that Khotan's spell seemingly began to weaken as well, with the lighting strikes becoming less and less frequent.

Soon, the lighting storm stopped, and the thunder clouds began spreading apart, revealing the Sun behind them. Priestess and the mages began smiling of joy as they were able to last long enough, many soldiers even cheering.

But then, something else happened. Above the still active shield a portal suddenly appeared, and out of it came a horse dark as night with demonic wings, Thugra Khotan himself being carried in the chariot carried by the flying horse. And in his hand, he held a jar decorated with a green serpent.

Then he opened the jar, and out of it flew many of his explosive seeds and fell atop of the shield. Many explosions appeared on the top of the barrier, and it wasn't long before too many fell from exhaustion, unable to keep going under the added strain. The shield was gone, and some seeds fell on top of the army, explosions killing many soldiers and knights.

Priestess was actually thrown back by one of the explosions happening near her. When she landed on the ground, she was bruised and adorned with dirt, a cut appearing on her forehead. She rose to her feet, though barely, and gasped when she saw the damage that was done by the explosions, many people heavily injured, some even blown to pieces.

Goblin Slayer, Spearman, Witch and others were also shocked at what happened, but luckily they didn't suffer any serious injuries. However, that attack put quite a dent in their numbers.

Conan glared at Thugra Khotan as he flew on that hellspawn of a steed. "By Crom, this is the last mistake you'll ever make, wizard," Conan growled out, having enough of this. He then turned to a silver-haired elf. "You there!" The Elf quickly turned as he heard Conan call out. "I saw you using wind magic! I'm going to jump and I need you to propel me high up!"

Khotan grinned at his handiwork, seeing the damage he caused to the King's army, small pillars of smoke rising among the ranks of soldiers and many blackened spots. This plan was quite effective. He knew that they probably had some way to counter his magic, so he needed to use something big to show what exactly they had. When he saw the shield and how much they struggled to keep it up he knew that there was still a final push to be made so he used the jar filled with all of his explosive seeds and made them rain down upon their greatly weakened barrier.

Now that their numbers have been reduced he got ready to go back to his army and lead them to a more assured victory.

Then he heard something hit the chariot he was riding which also caused it to shake rather violently for a moment, making him grip tighter on the reins so he didn't fall off. Feeling some extra weight on the back of the carriage he looked there and saw a bronze-skinned hand gripping the edge. Then came a sound of grunt and a figure climbed on the chariot and Khotan looked surprised to see it was Conan, who wasn't looking very happy.

"You! How-?!" he didn't get to finish his proclamation before Conan swung at him with his sword, but Khotan quickly dodged which caused the sword to actually cut through the wood of the chariot.

Khotan then grabbed Conan by the sword hand as the sword was briefly stuck in the wood, and took out a dagger under his cloak so he could strike at Conan, but the Cimmerian didn't give him a chance to use it as he grabbed the wizard's arm in turn. This turned into a contest of strength as the two let out several grunts while trying to get out of the other's grip. The demon horse, having no one ordering it at the moment flew in a single direction.

The King and his generals watched as Conan and Thugra Khotan flew away from the battlefield in the carriage.

"Just what is that idiot doing?" Female General asked as she watched them fly off.

The King then came to a realization. "Don't you see, this is our chance! Without Khotan, they won't be as coordinated as they are. Our numbers may be decreased but Conan was only one of the main commanders while Khotan doesn't appear to have any anymore. They won't be coordinated as well without him, and will more than likely be confused on what to do."

Female General then grinned at that. "Well then, I'll take my knights and hit them fast and hard. They won't see it coming!" Then she rode off.

The King then once again looked at the direction where the two flew off. He hoped that Conan will triumph.

Back on the flying chariot, the two continued their struggle as they flew, their hair blowing violently in the wind. Conan began winning as Khotan was pushed back and losing his grip. Khotan then took a deep breath, and Conan's barbarian instincts kicked, quickly ducking his head as Khotan spit out fire from his mouth. Conan then pulled his head back up and headbutted Khotan in the chin making him grunt in pain and stopped his fire.

Khotan then punched wizard in the face, almost throwing him off the chariot but Khotan gripped the edge just in time. Conan went for a thrust, however, the high priest of Set was quick to avoid, and thinking quickly, grabbed Conan by the exposed chainmail and pulled, using the barbarian's momentum against him and throwing him off the chariot.

But Conan was able to grab the wheel of the chariot to prevent himself from falling, his weight tilting it slightly. Khotan then moved his dagger to stab Conan, not wanting to use magic and risk damage to the chariot, but Conan spun out of the way with a grunt and stabbing through the wooden side with his sword to prevent him from falling. Knowing the wizard would go after him again and moved away, this time grabbing the rope that connected the horse to the chariot. Once he pulled out the sword, the robe took his full weight making it pull on the horse who neighed in annoyance as it was slightly pulled to the side but also making the chariot shake with Khotan once again hanging on so he doesn't fall. Seeing the horse was close to him, Conan readied his sword to strike.

Seeing what Conan was intending to do, Khotan cried out. "No, you idiot, stop!"

His pleas falling on deaf ears, Conan made a mighty swing with his blade, cutting through the monster's belly and cutting off one of its hind legs. The demon horse cried out in pain as copious amounts of blood and some of its guts spilled out in a gory fashion. Flailed savagely around in the air, the chariot it was carrying moving violently as Khotan gripped on it for dear life while Conan still hung on the rope. Conan looked down to see that they were now over an area that was filled with green hills, a stone tower located on top of one.

The horse then stopped flying as any spark of life left it, falling down along with the chariot and the passengers he was carrying, both of whom still holding tightly. They spun in the air as they fell before crash-landing near the tower with a loud crash.

Khotan was lying on his back. He let out several painful moans before getting up and rubbing his head to get rid of the dizziness along with a headache he felt. He opened his eyes to see the wreckage of his chariot with the corpse of the demon horse next to it. He then also noticed the stone tower on the hill they were on, simple in design with a wooden door at the bottom and several windows leading to the top, probably some sort of old lookout.

He quickly turned his head when he heard several grunts coming from the other side of the wreckage and seeing Conan rise up. Thinking that facing the barbarian head-on was a bad idea he rose up to his feet and quickly ran towards the tower.

Conan, seeing Thugra Khotan running towards the tower snarled as his eyes narrowed in anger. "Get back here, sorcerer!" he yelled out before running after him, his sword drawn.

Khotan just quickly entered through the front door, closed it and sealed it with a wooden bolt that was near it before running up the circular staircase.

Conan quickly slammed through the wooden door, smashing it to pieces. He then also began running up the staircase. "You can't escape me! I'll chase you to the ends of the earth if I have to!" Conan yelled out as he came to the first floor of the tower. The place was pretty old considering how many cobwebs and dust were located in there, but Conan paid it no mind as he began running up the staircase again. However, the stone stairs above him suddenly collapsed on top of him, burying him in a pile of stone before he could make a sound in response. That didn't stop him for long as he rose out of the rubble relatively unharmed and only angrier after looking at the hole that was now present in the staircase above, knowing it was the sorcerer's doing.

Khotan opened the door that led to the top of the tower. He quickly closed the door before moving slightly away and extending his hands. That trick he pulled with the staircase slowed Conan down long enough so he could prepare, ready to attack him with his magic the moment he got out.

He then heard some clanking sound behind him, startling him and making him quickly turn only to be met with a sword pointed at his chest. His eyes widened in shock, his gaze following the length of the sword and seeing the familiar girl with long red hair. It was the Hero.

"Surprised to see me?" she asked with a smirk. She moved closer, causing Khotan to back away in fear of the blade. "I must admit, that was a clever stunt you pulled back that temple. Too bad there is no repeating it."

"How did you find me?" Khotan asked in a low tone, but still loud enough to be heard.

"My friends and I planned to join the battle, but after we saw you flying away I decided to follow. I have to say, you really need to work on your landing skills," she joked. "This time I'm sure I'll put an end to you."

Then much to her surprise, Khotan began to chuckle. He began moving his fingers in a subtle motion that was unnoticed by Hero.

"You think you can threaten me... when you're holding a venomous serpent in your hand?" the wizard said.

Hero raised an eyebrow at that but then she suddenly saw the blade of her sword morph into a snake which turned back to bite her. Letting out a yelp she tossed her sword aside and the sword landed on the ground but the snake became the blade again, showing that it was an illusion.

She turned back at Khotan but he already had his hands extended. A beam of green energy shot out of his hands as Hero gasped before she was sent flying through stone and off the tower.

Turning back towards the door Khotan saw Conan emerging from it. Not having time to prepare a good spell he jumped at Conan and tackled him, both of them land on the ground with Conan's sword falling out of his hand. Khotan then put his hands on the shocked barbarian's neck and began squeezing. Conan brought his hands to lessen the grip but the wizard wasn't about to let go anytime soon.

"To think of how much trouble you've caused me, barbarian," Khotan said angrily. "Now you also ruined my plan of conquest, my righteous crusade for lord Set. I'll kill you with my own two hands."

"You…" Conan said through the choking. "Talk… too much." Conan then brought his feet to Khotan's chest and with a mighty shove, he threw the wizard off him as he flew several meters. Conan let out a few coughs before quickly reaching for his sword and rising up, with Khotan doing the same thing.

"Why you cursed jackal, I'll reduce you to-"

"Hiya!" Khotan suddenly heard the voice of Hero behind him but he couldn't react before he was hit by a metal boot in the back that sent him hurtling towards Conan.

The barbarian gripped the sword tightly with both hands, let out a Cimmerian roar and swung his blade at the wizard. And in one swift motion, Thugra Khotan's head was separated from his neck. His eyes were wide, his mouth opened in a scream that can never come out as his head flew through the air. The lack of lungs made it impossible for him to repeat the incantation that sent his spirit.

Khotan's head then rolled on the stone floor several times before stopping, the wizard's last thoughts on how he failed once again as his spirit was lost to the void. Thugra Khotan, the high priest of Set, the sorcerer of Kutchemes, has been forever vanquished.

Conan looked at the dismembered wizard's body before spitting. "Don't bother coming back again," Conan said hoping that whatever Hell he has crawled out of would keep him this time.

* * *

Up in the Heavenly Plane, a certain god of chaos looked at the scene in anger. The conflict was represented by wooden figures placed on the table, with Conan's figure standing up straight while Khotan's was downed.

"Damn that fool!" Set yelled out as he slammed his fist on the table, shaking the figures but not moving them. "For him to lose after getting another chance at this pathetic life!"

Mitra only smiled while looking proudly at Conan's figurine, felling joy in knowing that his rival's plans were thwarted.

Several other gods stood around the table, but the main ones, Truth and Illusion spoke about the situation.

"Well, the wager has been settled," Illusion said. "And Mitra has won."

Truth groaned. "And here I was hoping that things would get spicier."

Illusion just shook her head at his antics before looking at Set. "As per our agreement, you are no longer allowed to set foot on this continent until its very destruction, so leave."

Set's form began to disappear, but before it did he let out one last yell of anger the shook the Heavenly Plane.

Mitra then turned away from the table. "My job here is done," he said before he vanished as well.

"So…" Truth began before pulling up some dice to his longtime friend. "Shall we play again?"

Illusion only shrugged. "Heh, I'm not in the mood, maybe some other time. I really want to see this play out," she said causing Truth to groan.

* * *

Back on the battlefield, the King, the generals, the knights, adventurers, every single other soldier was laying waste Thugra Khotan's army. Without the proper chain of command, they were unprepared, easily falling before the more organized army and many breaking ranks the more the battle went on. Some leaders that were under Khotan's spell broke off, retreated and took their men with them. The appearance of Sword Saint and Sage, who recovered from her mana exhaustion, from the Hero's party also increased the chances for their allies.

Spearman skewered through one of the wolf riders by going through both the rider and the mount with his spear, a grin spread on his scarred face before he pulled out his signature weapon.

Amazon Warrior was in a similar situation as she cut a man in half with her axe.

"Looks like these bitches are losing!" she said as she swung her axe to flick the blood off it.

"You can say that again!" Spearman said before piercing through a hobgoblin.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, my friends!" Lizard Priest joined the fray as he pierced through the neck of a giant snake. "The fight still isn't over!"

"Oh, relax a bit scaly!" Dwarf Shaman said before ducking under a sword swipe and piercing the enemy through the stomach.

"Glad to see you all alive!" High Elf Archer exclaimed as she fired two arrows at once, both hitting their targets perfectly.

"Speaking of which, where is Beard Cutter?"

As if on cue, several dead goblins were suddenly thrown near them, joining the number of piling corpses, soon followed by Goblin Slayer coming there himself.

"You called?" Goblin Slayer said, his armor covered in blood.

"Hah, I knew you couldn't resist," High Elf Archer commented while looking at the dead goblins.

"How long do you think this battle will last?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Not too long it seems, milord Goblin Slayer," Lizard Priest said before pointing.

When the others saw where he was pointing at they saw that the rest of the army, or what remained of it began running away, scattering in many directions, some even leaving behind weapons, armor or both.

"Wow, look at them run," Amazon Warrior said jokingly.

The only soldiers who were left on the battlefield were those of the King's army, and those then began cheering in victory, the members of the Adventurer's Guild joining in.

High Elf Archer then kicked away a bloody helmet that was at her feet. "By the gods, what a mess," she commented as she looked around to see many corpses, weapons, and armor sprawled upon the grassy ground.

"Yeah, we did quite a number on each other. Luckily we came out on top," Spearman said as he rested his spear on his shoulder. "But there is still someone who has to show up."

The King met with Female General and Young General, all three on their mounts.

"We achieved victory!" Female General exclaimed.

"I underestimated that man, Conan," Young General said with a smile as he watched the fleeing forces of Thugra Khotan. "When he returns I'll treat him for a drink."

"A drink?! We should have a feast!"

The King felt happy that they won, and while their numbers also suffered heavy losses it wasn't nearly as bad as the opposing side. However, one thing still lingered on his mind. "That is... if Conan comes back."

The two generals then stopped their celebratory thoughts as they realized their King was right. There still wasn't any word of Conan or if he won against the crazed wizard. Though from what they've seen the Hero went to join him in defeating Khotan so their worries were eased.

Then they saw someone appear in the distance on a horse that began galloping down a hill towards the battlefield. The three of them could make out two shapes on the horse, one huge and one small. Smiles spread on their faces knowing who these two were.

Hero dismounted early as she went to greet her two best friends as they talked over what happened while Conan rode towards the King and the generals.

"You made our victory complete, my friend!" Young General spoke.

"Indeed I have," Conan said before reaching towards the back of the saddle. The three wondered what he was doing until he hefted up the head of Thugra Khotan, holding it by the hair. The head still had its mouth open and its eyes rolled at the back of the head.

"Ugh, did you really have to do that?" Female General asked, more in frustration than in disgust.

"I burned the body. The head is much easier to carry," Conan said before throwing the head down on the ground as it rolled unceremoniously for a few moments.

"It hardly matters, we have rid the world of yet another dangerous threat," the King spoke before smiling at Conan. "And I think there are people who want to see you." The King made a gesture towards the side and Conan saw that it was his allies from Adventurer's Guild coming towards. "I think you meet them. It's the least that can be done after the battle we had."

Conan chuckled. "Well isn't that the truth?" He then dismounted his horse and walked to greet his friends.

* * *

**AN: And that is it for today! The long-awaited battle has finally happened and Conan and his allies came out victorious! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would very much like to hear your thoughts on it. I have to admit I'm not a military expert by any means so I'm sorry if some of the strategies make no sense but I tried.**

**And the next chapter will be the last one, where I'll be pretty much wrapping up the story. I'll work on it immediately so you don't have to wait for too long.**

**And I hope that you check out my other stories. And remember, leave a review, they are great motivators.**

**That is all for now. See you next time!**


	30. 29 The King's Arrival

The Stranded Barbarian

**AN: Hello, my faithful reader, and welcome to the final installment of The Stranded Barbarian! Now you may be asking yourselves why I uploaded this chapter so soon, well, I just thought that since this is the last chapter I should finish it and finally give you guys an ending. I hope that you all enjoy it!**

**Now to reviews.**

**Guest: You can bet on it!**

**Dracus6: Thank you. Well, if you think that is going to happen then I'm afraid you might end up disappointed.**

* * *

29 The King's Arrival

Cheers erupted from the dining hall of the royal palace as chalices clanked together. Torches lit up the room where many people sat at around several huge square tables made of high-quality wood. On the candle-lit tables, the feast consisted of a variety of foods such as pork, chicken, sausages, soup, the bread of finest quality, exotic fruits from the elven lands, and more while for drinks, there were mostly varieties of wine, but it also included beer, mead and such.

The people seated at the tables were mostly nobles and some high-ranking adventurers, gold-ranked and some silver. At the main table that was placed horizontally to the position of the windows sat the King at the head, his generals at his side and some high-ranking nobles, though some seats were empty due to some of them joining the now dead Thugra Khotan.

The Hero and her teammates were also seated at the table, receiving such honor from their exploits not just in the recent battle but their general deeds as heroes of the country, with all three women having a good time.

But there was one table that had a group of people that didn't really seem to fit among the nobility present. The people at that table were Goblin Slayer, Priestess, Lizard Priest, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, Witch, Spearman, Female Knight, Amazon Warrior, Female Martial Artist, Arc Mage, Sword Maiden, and to many people's surprise… Conan.

Amazon Warrior took a bite of her pork before chugging some wine. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" she exclaimed before actually finishing chewing her food making her sound muffled.

"Can you mind… your manners, please?" Witch asked as she calmly took a bite out of her chicken.

"Ah, don't be such a spoilsport and let yourself go a little! This is supposed to be a celebration, ya know!" Amazon Warrior said as she wrapped her muscular arm around Witch and pulling her close, much to the purple-haired woman's annoyance as well as amusement.

"I honestly can't believe we're actually here," Priestess said as she cut herself some pieces of sausage.

"Well, I'm certainly not complaining!" Dwarf Shaman said jovially as he took a deep drink of some dwarven ale.

"Neither am I, they have some quality cheese here!" Lizard Priest took a bite out of some cut cheese, a very pleased expression on his face.

"You know, I've always known I'd one day be here. But I never thought it would be this soon," Spearman said with some pride in his voice. He then looked at Conan who took a bite out of his chicken wing. "And what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be hanging around with the big shots over there?" Spearman pointed at the main table where the King, Hero and other notable people sat.

Conan, now back in his usual garb of a tunic, simple pants, boots, and a chainmail shirt, downed his mouthful with some mead before wiping his mouth with his hand. "Trust me, I'm not one for the nobility. I'm a barbarian and a son of a blacksmith, hardly someone of noble blood," Conan answered.

"All noble bloodlines have to begin somewhere, Sir Conan," Sword Maiden said with a smile. "Perhaps this could be the start of yours."

Conan gave a throaty laugh at that. "I doubt it."

High Elf Archer took a bite of some fruit as she looked at Goblin Slayer, whose stare seemed to be set on Hero who was excitedly chomping down on some beef. "Something caught your attention?"

Those words made Goblin Slayer snap out of the small trance he was in, he blinked a few times before looking at High Elf Archer. "Sorry about that, it's just that," he said before looking back at Hero. "She seems familiar."

"Maybe you met her before," Spearman suggested.

Goblin Slayer stared for a few more moments before turning back to the table. "Yeah… I may have." He was certain that he did, but he just couldn't place it where exactly or when.

"You know, this still feels strange," Female Martial Artist said as she took some small bites from her pork. "I mean, there are many adventurers higher of higher ranking than us, and we aren't that much better from other silver-ranked adventurers. Us being here… it still feels weird."

"Are you saying I did some misfortune to you by inviting you here?" Conan asked.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Female Martial Artist quickly said. "I'm grateful, I am, but it still feels… like I got more than I deserved."

Conan was the one who specifically requested them to be invited to this celebration, not for Arc Mage she got here thanks to Witch and Goblin Slayer vouching for her, which was a selfish decision but Conan couldn't care less. They were people he fought side by side with during his time here and he was going to make sure they had a good time.

Female Knight watched somberly at her plate, the reflection of her staring back in the soup. "I wish that others were here. So they could enjoy it as well."

The table suddenly became quiet after she said that, knowing that she was referring to their fallen comrades. While she did get her revenge, the loss she suffered still hurt and the feeling wasn't going away anytime soon.

Spearman then had an idea. "Listen, guys, they may be gone, but I'm certain I knew them well enough to say that they wouldn't want to sulk or feel overly sad," he said before picking up his chalice. "So, I say that we have a toast in their honor and their memory, and show them that we are still willing to fight on!" He then pushed the chalice forward. "To our friends!"

The others quickly put up their own drinks, proclaimed "To our friends!", and took a long drink. After that followed a brief moment of silence but this one wasn't filled with sorrow.

"Man, I wish they had some cider," Arc Mage said with a sigh as she looked at her wine.

"You're lucky to… be here. Don't be… picky _now_," Witch said as she looked at her friend in amusement.

"I know that, but you'd think that with such a fancy dinner they'd have the best drinks," Arc Mage complained which caused Witch to laugh.

"May I have your attention?!" the King's voice boomed throughout the dining hall. The chattering stopped as well as the feasting as everyone turned their attention towards their King who took a standing position. "As you all know, this feast is a celebration of our victory against the evil wizard Thugra Khotan and his snake cult! However, it is thanks to one man that we were as successful as were in defeating him!" The King then turned to the Adventurer's Guild table, specifically to one single man. "Conan, man of Cimmeria, you may rise!"

While Conan doesn't usually comply with orders of nobility, he obeyed the order and stood up, curious to see what the King was planning. All eyes were staring expectantly at both of them.

"It is thanks to your efforts that we were able to win this war! Who knows how it would have gone if we didn't have your experience and counsel! You were a great ally to this kingdom and its people!" the King proclaimed with a smile on his face. "While I'm sad that you aren't dining with at this table, I'm still happy to have you at this feast! However, I feel that your contribution helped us enough that you deserve a special reward! Request something of me, and I'll see if it's in my power to give!"

That got people chattering again, making them wonder what the man would request of the King as such honor is not won easily. His guildmates were also curious to see what will happen next.

"So I can request anything?" Conan asked.

Young General then spoke up. "Didn't you hear him? Yes, you can! A promotion, a new title, noble status, money, women, anything short of the crown itself! Come on, you've been given a rare opportunity!"

Conan stood silently for a moment as if pondering on what he wanted to say. He briefly looked at his guildmates, all who had happy expressions, as if proud of his achievements with Spearman even giving him thumbs up.

Conan's gaze then went back to the King. "There is one thing that you could do for me," he said and everyone immediately quieted to hear what he had to say. "I didn't disclose it with you, but I'm not from this continent. I got stranded here by accident after my the ship I was traveling in was attacked by pirates and caught in a storm." That got everyone who didn't the story surprised to hear that, even the King. "So I have a simple request. Give me a ship, a crew and enough supplies so I can find my way back to my own continent."

This got surprised expressions from his friends, some more shocked than others.

"What?" Amazon Warrior said in a voice just above a whisper.

The King looked thoughtfully for a moment. "Is that all you want?" he asked to which Conan nodded. "Very well then. I will grant you your request. You will have your ship and crew ready in a few weeks, a month at most. I hope that you can wait a little bit."

Conan smirked. "Don't worry, I can," he said before taking a chalice and presenting it to the King. "To you, your highness." Conan then took a drink before sitting back, the festivities resuming going on like before.

As he sat back, he was met by some uneasy expressions, Amazon Warrior, Witch, and Goblin Slayer being the most noticeable. He had a good idea of what was going on in their minds.

"So, you're leaving?" Goblin Slayer broke the silence that permeated their table.

"I am," Conan answered. "I finally have a chance of going back."

Amazon Warrior looked irritated. "So that's it? You're going back and leaving US behind?" she said with her voice cracking a bit. "You seemed to come to that decision quite easily."

Witch then put her hand on the Amazon's shoulder. "Your impulsiveness… makes you think… irrationally," she said in a serious tone. "Think about it. How many things… he would be leaving behind… if he decided to… stay here?"

"I… I just-"Amazon Warrior tried to say something in her defense but was interrupted by Witch.

"Are you that… selfish that you would… have him abandon the friends… and family he already has… just so we could… keep him here?"

"I… I…," Amazon Warrior stuttered. "No, I wouldn't want that. But I," she then looked back at Conan, their eyes meeting. "But I thought I lost you once, and that isn't a feeling I like being repeated."

The others could empathize with how Amazon Warrior was feeling.

"And who says I'm never coming back?" Conan said causing the others to perk up. "I may want to come back to my home continent, but that doesn't mean I'm abandoning this place forever. One day I will come back here. After everything I've been through I'm not just leaving this place or any of you behind me. By Crom, that is something I swear on my life!"

That got everyone to look more cheerful.

"Oh, stop it, you're gonna make me cry," Dwarf Shaman said as he wiped his eyes despite there no being actual tears in them.

Goblin Slayer could only smile at that, happy to know that Conan was willing to still come back here. He would have said something but wasn't sure if he could find the words so he only took his chalice, presented it to Conan who clanged it with his own.

* * *

A week passed after the feast at the Royal Palace, and Conan had moved away from his position as a general and came back to his simple profession of being an adventurer. He's job at defeating Thugra Khotan was done and he didn't need to have any other responsibility of having the title of general.

But right now, instead of adventuring, he was at Goblin Slayer's and Cow Girl's farm. He exited the farmhouse, carrying two heavy crates in each hand and putting them into the cart that waited outside. This time he was dressed in casual clothing instead of armor, and his weapons were left inside.

Goblin Slayer, also casually dressed, came out with a single crate that he put in the cart. "That should be the last of them," Goblin Slayer said. "Thank you for the help."

"Heh, this is trivial compared to what I usually do," Conan said.

Cow Girl then came out of the house and leaned on the wooden railing with her hands supporting her as she watched the two. She couldn't help but have a smile on her face at the sight.

"Is the delivery ready, you two?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," Goblin Slayer answered before grabbing the cart. He then looked at Conan. "So will you-"

"Yes, yes, I'll guard her," Conan interrupted. "Just go and play deliveryman."

Goblin Slayer chuckled at that. "Fine then, see you both in a few hours." Then he began pulling the cart and walked the road towards the Frontier Town.

Cow Girl gave a sigh. "Oh, I wish he didn't put so much farm work on his shoulders. I'm still capable, you know," she said.

"That's just his nature," Conan answered as he watched Goblin Slayer leave. "He is very protective, that's one thing about him that hasn't changed." He then turned to Cow Girl with a smirk. "Especially since someone has a brat on the way."

That caused Cow Girl to blush. Yes, a few days ago they found out that she was pregnant with Goblin Slayer's child. Goblin Slayer at first wasn't sure what to think, but eventually felt joy at the prospect, the same as her. But he also put it on himself to do most of the work around the farm like making deliveries and working in the field, leaving her to do simple things like washing dishes.

Conan was here because Goblin Slayer asked him for help around the farm which he accepted. Since the war, the monster activity was reduced so the guilds didn't receive as many requests making the work somewhat scarce so Conan had time.

"Still, I don't want to be treated like I'm the baby," she said as her gaze wandered to the side.

Conan gave a chuckle. "My, are you two amusing." He then walked towards the terrace, his face suddenly gaining a neutral expression. "Though, I can understand how he is feeling."

That caused the redhead to look at him curiously. "You… are a father?"

His face twitched at the question. "I was… supposed to be," Conan answered more quietly this time around, with Cow Girl looking at him sadly. "The baby died at childbirth, and the mother was killed sometime after." Conan's mind at that moment went back to Belit, the Queen of the Black Coast, and his lover. He remembered the time she had gotten pregnant with their child, only for it to end in a miscarriage.

"I… I'm…" Cow Girl struggled to say something. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

Conan took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter now, the past is the past," Conan said. "Besides, what kind of a father would I be?"

Before he could elaborate, Cow Girl chimed in. "A good one," she said, gaining his attention. "Don't you see what you've done? You've filled a hole in Goblin Slayer's soul that only a father could fill, a father he lost. He isn't the paranoid, goblin-obsessed person he once was but he is still caring and kind. He changed for the better."

"So I've been told," Conan said.

"But have you accepted it?" Cow Girl pressed on. "Don't be afraid of fatherhood. You're the one acting paranoid now, and you don't give yourself enough credit."

Conan just looked at her for a few silent moments before answering. "Thank you. I'll have something to think about."

"That's good enough," she said with a smile. Then she teasingly leaned towards him. "So, how do you like being a future grandfather?"

His response was a pinch in the arm causing her to yelp. "Don't get cheeky with me, girl."

"Oh, you're a meanie!" she said with a pout which made Conan look amused, but quickly recovered. "Still, I thank you for being a part of this little family, as much as you didn't see it. You will always be welcome in our home."

"Girl, you've given me more than I-"

"Please don't say 'more than I deserve,'" she interrupted him. "Honestly, it's getting a bit annoying and you deserve far more."

Conan then shook his head, a smile still present on his face. "Fine, I won't."

She gave an excited nod. "That's good to hear!"

* * *

Yet another week passed, and Conan was currently fighting werewolves within a forest over a dozen kilometers southeast of Frontier Town. One of them snarled at him, showing his sharp teeth as saliva dripped from its mouth.

Conan took out his double-headed axe and prepared for the monster to attack. And once it tried to pounce on him, it was suddenly stopped by a spear being thrown through its chest, spilling a huge amount of blood before killing it.

Conan glared at Spearman who grinned as he approached to recover his spear, which he pulled swiftly from the corpse. "Sorry about that, but I ain't losing this bet."

"You both are losing this bet!" exclaimed Amazon Warrior as she took out her axe from a werewolf's back. "I'm currently in the lead!"

Conan then swung behind him, decapitating a werewolf that tried to blindside him. "Not anymore!"

Another group of werewolves came as they glared at the trio.

"Well then," Spearman began as he pointed his spear at them. "Looks like this is the last round."

The two nodded before all three of them charged at the werewolves. This was one of the last quests Conan was going to take as an adventurer here and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

* * *

Finally, the time came for Conan to depart. He was currently riding on a white horse, wearing his chainmail armor, a pack tied to the saddle, longsword at his belt and axe on his back. He didn't want to wear any of the enchanted gear that was given to him by the King as that would only garner him unnecessary attention.

However, there was still one thing that he needed to do, a promise that he made at the beginning of his journey.

He looked upon the Farmer Village, memories of the beginning began flashing through his mind. The kindly couple giving him food and shelter, the murder of the husband and his slaughter of the goblins who did it. And now was the time to keep that promise.

His horse galloped towards the graveyard where the Farmer was buried. He made sure to tie the horse to a nearby tree before he entered it. Just as he expected, he saw the familiar brown hair of a woman who was kneeling in prayer in front of her husband's grave. He waited, not wanting to disturb her. The woman then suddenly rose and turned around, and once she saw that there was someone in front of her she gasped in surprise but soon recognized the bronze-skinned, black-haired barbarian in front of her.

"C-Conan? Is that… really you?" she asked in a raspy voice.

"It is indeed," Conan said with a comforting smile. "You told me to come back and visit before I leave, so here I am."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Conan!" she then quickly wrapped her slender arms around his muscular frame, a gesture he returned.

* * *

Conan was now at the port located on the east side of the continent. It was afternoon and the Sun began to set. Several stone buildings adorned the shore and ships standing still in the salty water. He focused on one of the ships, one that was on the larger side, made of incredibly sturdy wood and pure white sails.

The crew of this ship consisted completely of humans, a request he made specifically to the King after he explained to him that his continent was dominated by humans and creatures like lizardmen, beastmen and even elves would be most likely met with hostility.

Along with him on the port were Goblin Slayer, who was unarmored with only a sword, and Cow Girl, who wanted to see him off. He already said goodbye to the others and these two wanted to do it at the port.

"So this is it?" Cow Girl asked sadly.

"For now it is," Conan answered.

"How long do you think it will take you to come back?" Goblin Slayer asked.

Conan stood silent for a moment before answering. "I don't know."

"I see," Goblin Slayer said. "Well, all I have to say is…" The silver-haired man smiled. "Thank you, for everything."

Conan smiled back before putting a hand on Goblin Slayer's shoulder. "Live your life now that you have it back, kid. Don't forget what really matters to you."

"Don't worry," Goblin Slayer said before wrapping his arm around Cow Girl's waist. "I definitely won't."

"Hey there!" the three of them heard someone familiar call out. When they saw who it was they were surprised. Amazon Warrior and Witch were walking together, both of them wearing their own packs. "I hope you didn't forget us!" the Amazon said while she waved.

"Wait, don't tell me you're-"

"Coming with you? Yes, we are!"

"We have… agreed to it… together," Witch said in her usual tone. "We decided to… come with you… to your continent. We couldn't wait… for who knows… how long… for you to… come back."

"And we are not taking 'no' for an answer," Amazon Warrior said as she wagged her finger.

Conan could only stare at the two women. "Are you… sure about this?" he received simultaneous nods from them. "Trust me when I say that you'll be dealing with a lot of trouble if you come back with me."

"Ha! It's as if you don't know us at all! We can take care of ourselves!"

"Indeed we… can."

Conan pondered on it for moment, not sure if he should accept this. On the other hand, he was actually… relieved to hear they wanted to come with him. If he was being honest he would have missed them too.

"Very well, you two. Come with me!" the three of them then walked to the ship, after which the crewmen retracted the bridge that connected them to the shore. Soon, the anchor was raised from the water and oars began paddling away. Conan, Witch and Amazon Warrior waved at Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl who waved back, with the redhead waving more cheerfully than her lover.

The ship then went far enough that the trio couldn't see them so they stopped waving and looked forward at the vastness of the ocean, a soft sea breeze accompanying them as they sailed.

"Well, then I think it's time to ask you," Conan said which gained the attention of the two women. "What are your real names? I think I'm in a good position to know."

The two of them smiled, knowing that they were already past the point of him deserving to know that.

"I'm Diana," Amazon Warrior, now Diana answered.

Witch then gestured at herself. "Mary."

Conan could only smile as he heard their names. "I'm glad that I know them." He then walked to the women and grabbed them both by their waists.

The ships then continued sailing away from the port, with Goblin Slayer and Cow Girl watching it disappear into the sunset.

* * *

The King was currently sitting in his office at the Royal Palace signing some trading documents that littered his table. And he was honestly bored out of his mind. To him, there was nothing worse to do so early in the morning.

Five years, that's how long it has been since Conan departed. And in that time nothing really special happened, not to him anyway. He had to admit he actually liked being on the frontlines again and fighting against enemies, but now he was limited to paperwork and managing the kingdom.

Then he heard a knock at the door. "Come in," he said as a servant came into the room.

"Your majesty, several ships bearing a symbol of the roaring lion were seen at the Eastern Port!" he said frantically. "We don't know where these ships come from exactly but one of the men said that he knows you personally and that we should deliver this message to you!" The servant then took a sealer scroll out of his pocket, the seal also having the symbol of a lion.

The King took the scroll and unsealed it before starting to read what was written on it. As his eyes repeatedly moved from left to right his face morphed into an expression of confusion and intrigue, but once his eyes landed on the signature they became wide. He quickly rose from his table and addressed the servant. "Prepare my horse and some knights as guards! I'm going personally to the Eastern Port! I'll also have to write some letters in the meantime!"

The servant bowed before quickly exiting the room to do as he was asked while the King went to write those letters

* * *

Goblin Slayer walked through the street of the Eastern Port. Earlier this morning he received a letter from the King himself requesting, no, _ordering_ him to come to the Eastern Port as soon as he could. He got ready quickly.

His appearance changed slightly over the five years that passed. His silver hair was now longer, reaching below his shoulders and his eyes were no longer cowered by bangs. His face now had an extra scar that went from his right cheek, across his nose and just over his left eye. He was also dressed in a blue shirt over some chainmail, black trousers, and boots, a shortsword strapped on his side and knife hidden in the right boot.

However, he wasn't alone. "So, why do you think we were summoned?" asked Hero as she walked beside Goblin Slayer. She matured over the five years, now being tall enough to reach just over Goblin Slayer's shoulder, her curves developing in a more hourglass figure and her face looking more mature. She was also dressed in casual clothes, a simple white shirt, yellow pants, and brown shoes, though she could easily equip armor or weapons thanks to magic.

"I'm not sure, but I hope it ends soon," Goblin Slayer said.

"Oh, right, your daughter has a birthday celebration today," Hero said after she remembered what day it was.

The two then came to the place where they were summoned but also noticed some other people there.

"Oh, hey there, Goblin Slayer!" Spearman called out as he gave a wave. He hadn't changed much but his armor was ebony black this time and a golden tag instead of silver. "So you got here, too!"

He wasn't the only one there. High Elf Archer, Lizard Priest, Dwarf Shaman, Female Knight, and Female Martial Artist were there as well.

"What's going on here?" Goblin Slayer asked as he looked at who was gathered.

"We aren't sure, sir Goblin Slayer!" said Lizard Priest who hasn't changed in appearance, neither have High Elf Archer or Dwarf Shaman.

"We were also suddenly summoned," said Female Knight, not wearing her armor right now and her hair tied in a bun.

"Apparently, we have to meet with some big shot to whom those ships belong to," Female Martial Artist said as she pointed at the docked ships with the symbol of a lion on the sails.

The King made his presence known to the adventurers. "I see that you have gathered, though there are still some missing," he said as he looked over the group.

"The rest couldn't come," Goblin Slayer simply said.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. I need all of you to be present for this meeting. So come," the King said before walking towards the largest of the docked ships with the adventurers following him.

"Man, I wonder why we of all people were asked to be here," Dwarf Shaman asked.

"We'll see," Goblin Slayer said.

When they arrived, the King stood in front of the bridge that connected the sheep to land and they took positions behind him. Down the bridge walked an officer dressed in armor and a plumed helmet.

"I thank you all for answering the king's summons!" the soldier proclaimed before gesturing at the deck of the ship. "Now I present, in his royal galley, the ruler of the kingdom of Aquilonia, king Conan!"

All except the King were stunned when they heard that. They couldn't believe their ears. Conan coming back was shocking enough but KING Conan? That was definitely something they didn't expect.

The said man came to the bridge. He didn't really change physically over the years, but the way he dressed was definitely different. A blue royal tunic with yellow trimmings and the same lion symbol on his chest, sandals on his feet, a white cape flowing behind him also adorned with yellow trimming, and finally, a golden crown atop his head.

Then several other people appeared. They recognized Amazon Warrior, who now wore some plated armor which honestly covered less than it should, and Witch though she was now wearing a purple robe and she didn't have her hat. Then there was another dark-haired woman they couldn't recognize dressed in a silk dress and holding a small black-haired child in her arms. They descended down the bride and then two more children came behind them, a dark-skinned boy, no more than two it seemed dressed in a red shirt and shorts, along with a girl not too much older with purple hair dressed in a small green dress.

Conan then finally stood in front of the shocked group of adventurers, his arms crossed as he shared a smirk with the King, Diana and Mary also having amused grins on their faces.

"So," Conan began as he looked over his old guildmates. "Have you missed us?"

* * *

**AN: AND THAT. IS. IT! We finally reached the end of the story, and in just under 10 months since I uploaded the first chapter. First, I thank all of you who stuck by this story. It is currently sitting in over 26,000 views, 68 favorites, 85 follows and 153 reviews. I honestly didn't think that it would get as popular as it is so once again thank you all. This being my first story here also makes it even more special.**

**And I'm sorry to those who were hoping to get even more from this story but I just didn't see it going anywhere further than this. Still, I hope that you found the experience enjoyable. **

**For those people who are hungry for more Conan stories or are wondering if this story is going to have a sequel, then to both of those, the answer is YES. The future stories I've planned are:**

**Conan/Record of the Grancrest War - I honestly think that these two franchises can mesh well together. Here the focus won't really be on Conan but another character from the Conan mythos who I think can be the main character in his own right. You'll have to wait and see who that'll be.**

**Conan spin-off - A story that takes place during the five years this story happens but we follow Conan, Witch and Amazon Warrior (now named Mary and Diana respectively). This will be only in the 'Conan series' category.**

**Goblin Slayer spin-off - Also a story that happens in the five-year time gap but with Goblin Slayer. This will also be only under the 'Goblin Slayer' category.**

**Conan/Black Lagoon - Now, some of you might be thinking "What the hell?! This guy lost his marbles!", but with Marvel having published several stories of Conan coming to the future in a more modern setting I thought I should try it out but with this series. I think they fit quite well.**

**Conan/Goblin Slayer sequel - this one simply takes place after this story ends.**

**I hope you stay tuned for all these. And if you have any other ideas for a Conan story then leave a review or PM me.**

**Now, I have other projects I plan on doing in the future which I think you might find enjoyable. However, I won't describe them I'll just list them: RWBY/Captain America, Hazbin Hotel/Good Omens, RWBY (just a RWBY story with my own special twist on it), Shazam/Highschool DxD, Castlevania Lords of Shadows/Highschool DxD.**

**Tell me if any of these interest you.**

**And I also hope that you check out my two other stories (Star Wars/Akame ga Kill and Zorro/Rurouni Kenshin).**

**Ok, sorry for such a long AN but I needed to get all this off my chest. Once again, I thank you for enjoying this story, all the reviews, and criticisms. By Crom, it was one hell of a journey!**

**See you in another story!**


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